INTERNATIONAL PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES INSTITUTE
No. 31
About the Newsletter
The International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute (IPGRI) is one of
the 16 Centres of the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR) with its
Headquarters at Rome. IPGRI’s
mission is to encourage, support and
undertake activities to improve the
management of genetic resources
worldwide so as to help eradicate
poverty, increase food security and
protect the environment. IPGRI works
in partnership with other organizations,
undertakes research and training, and
provides scientific and technical advice
and information. IPGRI operates in five
geographical areas: Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA), the Americas, Europe,
Central and West Asia and North Africa
(CWANA), and Asia, the Pacific and
Oceania (APO). APO Regional Office
is based in Serdang, Malaysia with
offices for East Asia and South Asia
located in Beijing, China and New
Delhi, India, respectively.
The APO Newsletter is produced thrice
a year and is mainly aimed at promoting
the overall concern on plant genetic
resources, with emphasis on their
conservation and use. [Contd. on page 4]
Contents
Editorial ...................................
Headquarters ...........................
Regional ..................................
National ................................... 10
COGENT Update .................... 12
Meetings/Training Programmes 17
Interesting Books, Periodicals
and Websites ................... 19
Scientific Contributions ........... 22
Useful Names & Addresses ... 24
The information, opinions and designations in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of IPGRI
The IPGRI Homepage on the World Wide Web of Internet: http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri
NEWSLETTER
FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
Editorial
The International Undertaking on
Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture: Is it Now or Never?
For a number of years now, FAO
negotiators have struggled to revise the
International Undertaking on PGRFA
(Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture) into a legally binding
agreement. Many people feel that as we
enter the year 2000, we are also
reaching a “now or never” situation for
these negotiations.
A revised Undertaking would constitute
an essential element of FAO’s “Global
System” for PGRFA. It would help the
world community achieve the closely
related goals of food security and
sustainable agriculture. At the same time,
the Undertaking is to be harmonized with
the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) to serve as an instrument for the
conservation and sustainable use of
plant genetic resources and the fair and
equitable sharing of the benefits arising
1 from the use of such resources.
3 however, that food security and
The Undertaking would establish legally
3
binding rules to secure facilitated access
to and exchange of PGRFA within a
multilateral system. In addition, the
Undertaking would also establish
effective ways of cooperation to ensure
conservation of agro-biodiversity and the
further development of PGRFA. To
conform to the CBD, it will also have to
contain effective provisions for benefit-
ISSN 1561-2473
January-April 2000
sharing, including articles on funding and
Farmers’ Rights (to benefit small farmers
that have been the traditional custodians
of PGRFA, particularly in developing
countries).
We need the Undertaking for continued
open access to and exchange of
PGRFA. Given the high level of PGRFA
interdependence between regions,
convincingly shown in a number of FAO
documents, such an open access and
exchange regime is crucial for research
and development in agriculture and
consequently for further agricultural
progress.
Perhaps more fundamentally, conditions
affecting agriculture such as pests,
climate, etc. are continually evolving,
sometimes in ways that we are not fully
aware of (cf. the debate on climate
change). We can say with certainty,
sustainable agriculture will be impossible
to achieve without a sufficiently wide
genetic base for food and agriculture. A
revised Undertaking will be crucial for
the conservation and further
development of agro-biodiversity as well
as for making it available to countries.
What will happen if these negotiations
fail? No one should by believing that
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
status quo will prevail. Obviously, there
will be a lot of confusion. It is clear that
ex situ collections made before the entry
into force of the CBD are not covered
by that Convention. In many cases, it is
not clear where such pre-CBD PGRFA
originated. For all PGRFA exchange after
the entry into force of the CBD, the
conditions of the CBD will generally
apply.
This means that unless the world
community manages to create
multilaterally agreed, legally binding rules
for germplasm exchange in this field, we
could be moving towards a situation
where general CBD principles would
apply. In addition, we would be faced
with grey zones where it is difficult to tell
which rules should apply. The CBD was
obviously drafted with other kinds of
biodiversity as a primary focus, in
particular biodiversity where the question
of origin is less complex than for agro-
biodiversity. Managing agro-biodiversity
exchange on a bilateral basis would be
a nightmare, not only in practical terms,
but also with regard to equity
considerations (what would be “fair and
equitable” benefit-sharing in cases where
a seed contains material from 50
sources?!). Benefit-sharing must,
therefore, be clearly regulated by
multilateral mechanisms, and for this we
need the Undertaking.
In fact, confusion as well as obstacles
to open exchange of PGRFA are already
visible. Several countries are developing
access legislation in line with CBD
principles, and it is not clear that
sufficient mechanisms are being created
to safeguard the need for open exchange
of PGRFA. At the same time, intellectual
property rights (IPR) protection over
PGRFA is increasing, and some forms
of IPR protection, in particular patents,
also pose limitations to the accessibility
of PGRFA. Consequently, the real
alternative to a legally binding
Undertaking would not be status quo,
but rather an increased polarisation
between providers of genetic resources
and industries using these resources to
create new products. To put it differently,
instead of an agreement where PGRFA
is managed from the perspectives of food
security and sustainable agriculture,
PGRFA management would be split
between CBD and World Trade
Organization (WTO) provisions, and an
increasing number of conflicts over
PGRFA would be one likely outcome of
such a situation.
Both developed and developing countries
will benefit from a system of open
access. Open access is in itself an
important benefit to be shared among
all parties to a revised Undertaking.
However, developing countries demand
some commitments, in line with CBD
provisions, from developed countries as
regards the commercial benefits arising
from access to PGRFA. This should not
surprise anyone. CBD was negotiated
in a situation where genetic resources
were considered “freely available” while
IPRs were increasingly established over
industrial products based on these
resources, even if the value of these
products was developed on the basis of
traditional knowledge or traits. Concerns
about this situation resulted in the
benefit-sharing provisions of the CBD.
These equity issues are still with us: one
delegate from a developing country to
the FAO Commission on Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture
(CGRFA) recently stated that without
IPRs the question of benefit-sharing
would not arise and all genetic material
could be freely available in the same
way as it was historically.
Given that benefit-sharing for PGRFA
can not be on a bilateral basis, the most
logical starting point for operationalizing
benefit-sharing provisions in the
Undertaking would be the Global Plan
of Action for PGRFA. One important
reason to develop this plan was to get a
better idea of funding needs related to
the Undertaking (the International Fund).
What we are talking about here is a plan
with cost scenario in the range of (from
“rudimentary” to “comprehensive”) US$
150 – 450 million a year. These sums
2
are not necessarily new and additional
money, but it is essential that such
funding should be predictable. These
resources could be mobilized in several
ways. However, that PGRFA
conservation and use ultimately benefits
the whole society, governments will still
have to bear the final responsibility.
Developed countries should realize that
without some credible mechanism for
benefit-sharing, there would be no
agreement on a multilateral system with
open access to PGRFA. On the other
hand, developing countries should
realize that no OECD country will accept
new obligations (for funding or otherwise)
to a system where facilitated/open
access applies only to a very limited
number of crops. Consequently,
countries from all regions must make
some compromises in order to achieve
a successful conclusion to these
negotiations. The sacrifices that
countries would have to make seem
rather modest, however, compared to
what is at stake [The material is
reproduced here with author’s
permission. Author: Jan Borring, Adviser,
Ministry of the Environment, Oslo,
Norway].
National Programmes
are requested to
contribute short
research articles, news/
notes or other
important information
on PGR related topics
including websites for
inclusion in the next
issue of the Newsletter.
Please send your
contributions to any of
the three
IPGRI-APO Offices.
[See addresses on page 24]
3 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
Headquarters
IFPRI Micronutrient and
Gender Study
IPGRI participated in a research study
currently being carried out by the
International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI) in the Saturia region of
Bangladesh. This quantitative study
involves a sample of 315 households.
The survey will gather information on a
wide variety of health, nutrition, income
and dietary measures, and now includes
a Plant Genetic Resources (PGR)
component.
The PGR component was developed
with the help of Dr O. Islam, Head of the
Plant Genetic Resources Centre (PGRC)
and others at the Bangladesh Agricultural
Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur,
Gazipur. Two measures of the PGR
Interaction with farmer families for nutrition and gender study in Bangladesh
Regional
Update on IPGRI-APO
Activities
IPGRI organizes TFT Project
Planning Meeting
IPGRI has identified tropical fruit tree
species as one of its priority areas for
work in the APO region, based on the
needs expressed by several countries
in the region. A 3-year project on
component were created for
quantitatively capturing plant genetic
diversity, the first as an indicator of
species and the second as an indicator
of crop varieties. To create these
measures, farmers were interviewed and
asked to provide information on the
number of species and varieties of crops
that they cultivated. Local species’
names were recorded and then
categorized as ‘modern’, ‘locally-
improved’, ‘traditional’ or ‘unknown’. The
farmers’ responses were verified with
local agriculture experts and BARI
scientists. Market surveys and field
observations were also used to
supplement the development of the two
measures. It is felt that the new
measures will provide an indication of
the amount and type of plant genetic
‘Conservation and Use of Native Tropical
Fruit Species Biodiversity in Asia’, has
been approved under technical
assistance agreement between the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) and the
International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute (IPGRI). This project has a
budget provision of US$3.147 million,
which includes contribution from ADB,
IPGRI and the National Programmes in
10 Asian Countries.
No. 31
diversity used by the study population.
Preliminary findings are expected to be
made available in August 2000 [Gina
Kennedy, Health and Nutrition
Consultant, IPGRI-Rome].
Vavilov-Frankel
Fellowships for 2000
Awarded
The Vavilov-Frankel Fellowships for
2000 have been awarded to:
Mr Omid Fasihi Harandi of the
National Research Centre for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology, Iran
to carry out a study entitled “Analysis
of genetic diversity and classification
of wild and cultivated Iranian
Pistachio (Pistacia L.) using molecular
markers”. The work is being
undertaken at the Department of
Horticulture, Pennsylvania State
University, USA under the supervision
of Dr Majid R. Foolad, Assistant
Professor.
Ms Shadila Venkatasamy of the
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation,
Mauritius to carry out a study entitled
“Phylogenetic relationships between
endangered endemic ebony tree
species in Mauritius”. The work is
being undertaken at the Department
of Ecology and Genetics, Aarhus
University, Denmark, under the
supervision of Professor Jens M.
Olesen, the Head of Department.
A Project Planning Meeting was
organized at The Mines Beach Resort
and SPA, Selangor, Malaysia from 15-
18 February 2000. The objectives of this
meeting were to: i) apprise the country
coordinators from collaborating countries
about the project logistics, administrative
and financial aspects, ii) share
information on ongoing research
activities in the 10 countries, iii) explain
about the project implementation
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
IPGRI TFT Project Planning Meeting in Session
arrangements, and iv) discuss and
finalize the workplans for 3 years and
workplan and budget for the year 2000.
The meeting was organized in five
sessions, namely, i) Logistic arrange-
ments, ii) Current status of work, iii)
Developing workplans, iv) International/
Regional collaboration, and v)
Finalization of workplans, and budget.
Twenty participants comprising country
coordinators from 10 Asian countries,
representatives from international/
regional organizations, IPGRI staff and
observers attended the meeting. The
salient points and highlights of the
meeting are as under:
It was felt that efforts on tropical fruits
are not well organized in many countries
and that very little work has been done
in the area of plant genetic resources.
There is, thus, a great need for concerted
efforts on germplasm collecting,
evaluation, characterization and
utilization, skill enhancement, database
development, and developing
appropriate conservation techniques.
The country coordinators appreciated the
initiative taken by IPGRI and the funding
support by ADB for research on PGR
related activities on selected priority fruit
species genepools, namely, mango,
citrus, rambutan and jackfruit and in
addition 1-2 locally important potential
species.
The project activities will be implemented
through a series of Letters of
Agreements (LoAs) between IPGRI and
the participating countries. Detailed
proposals on specific activities on
different crops as agreed at the meeting
will be submitted by the country
coordinators and funds will be made
available as per approved proposals. The
reporting procedure will include six
monthly and annual progress reports as
well as financial reports. The monitoring
of project expenditure will be done
through project tracking system
developed by IPGRI-APO. For effective
and efficient implementation of the
project, the activities envisaged to be
undertaken have been regrouped into
different tasks, which have been
assigned to different IPGRI professional
staff with relevant expertise (Task
Managers).
In view of budget constraints, it was
decided to concentrate on a few specific
activities on two priority crops in each
country. Based on this criterion, the crop
groups identified were mango (9
countries), citrus (6 countries), rambutan
(3 countries), jackfruit (3 countries), litchi
(3 countries) and Garcinia (3 countries).
However, the exercise was very useful
and it was felt that the activities proposed
by each country are important and could
be handled through separate funding
proposals that can be developed
subsequently. Intensive deliberations for
two days, jointly and in groups, resulted
in finalization of an agreed plan of
activities for 3 years and also for the
year 2000.
In view of the training needs of all the
countries, it was agreed that human
4
resource development aspect for
training, study visits, etc., should be
coordinated by IPGRI with the budget
earmarked for that activity. The common
areas of training identified were: i)
germplasm collecting, evaluation,
characterization, documentation and
conservation, ii) molecular characteriza-
tion and DNA finger printing, iii) in vitro
conservation and cryopreservation, and
iv) database development. Besides this,
need for field genebank management
training for technicians was also
expressed. Database development was
considered as a high priority by all the
10 national programmes. A format may
be developed by IPGRI and provided to
the collaborators for developing
databases in different countries on a
uniform pattern. For studies on constraint
analysis, a questionnaire needs to be
developed and provided to the partners.
It was also decided that the PGR
activities being supported under
Underutilized Tropical Fruits Asia
Network (UTFANET) and other funding
sources should not be taken up under
this project. Instead, the resources are
utilized for those activities on which not
much work is being done, to enhance
effective use of available funds and to
promote complementarity between
different programmes. It was agreed that
the work on tropical fruit species in the
region should be seen as a
comprehensive effort, funding coming
from different sources, including
respective national programmes.
About the Newsletter
Contd. from page 1
It provides information on plant
genetic resources activities carried
out by national programmes and
other centres in the region.
Information is also periodically
abstracted from recent literature
(books, periodicals, etc.), and brief
research contributions published.
With over 2500 addressees on its
mailing list, the APO newsletter is
widely distributed to focus on
IPGRI's mandate to advance the
conservation and use of plant
genetic resources for the benefit of
present and future generations.
5 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
The presentations made by the
representatives of International/Regional
organizations, namely, UTFANET,
CIRAD, CABI and TFNet were very
useful. UTFANET’s activities are being
supported in 8 out of 10 participating
countries and collaboration with this
project will be immensely useful. CIRAD
is supporting some tropical fruit work in
Asia and collaborative activities with
CIRAD need to be developed. CIRAD’s
data documentation software could be
used for this project also. The work being
done on tropical fruits in Americas can
be linked to this project. The bibliography
on tropical fruit species developed by
IPGRI-Americas office was distributed to
all partners. Role of CAB International
in promoting the conservation and use
of tropical fruit species through
information dissemination could be
important. The collaboration of Tropical
Fruits Network (TFNet) will also be
useful.
The Steering Committee (SC) for this
project was constituted which will have
the responsibility for monitoring the
activities, providing direction and
developing funding proposals. Dr S. P.
Ghosh from India and Dr Felipe S. dela
Cruz from Philippines were elected as
Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson,
respectively.
The first meeting of the Steering
Committee was also organized. The
chairperson explained the role and
responsibilities of Steering Committee
and asked the SC members to make it
fully effective. The SC discussed the
workplan for 3 years and identified the
major activities in each crop on which
the thrust is to be given during the year
2000. SC also endorsed the current
country coordinators as the SC
members. Working on tropical fruit tree
species is a challenging area and with a
firm commitment and support from the
Governments of respective countries,
these joint collaborative efforts in
partnership mode will certainly bring
spectacular success in achieving the
expected project outputs. SC also
acknowledged the financial support of
ADB to these efforts by the 10 Asian
countries together with IPGRI [Bhag Mal,
Coordinator, IPGRI South Asia Office,
Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012,
India].
Research progress on East
Asian Vigna species: an IPGRI
supported project
In 1999, the East Asian Plant Genetic
Resources Coordinators agreed for a
collaborative project on East Asian Vigna
species. During the winter months, two
scientists visited the National Institute of
Agrobiological Resources, Tsukuba,
Japan and conducted research on
Japanese and Korean germplasm of
Vigna species belonging to sub-genus
Ceratotropis. Dr Mun Sup Yoon, from
the Genetic Resources Division of the
Rural Development Administration,
Republic of Korea, undertook AFLP
analysis of the East Asian wild Vigna
and Mr Hironobu Jinno from the
Hokkaido Prefectural Plant Genetic
Resources Centre undertook RAPD
analysis on the same set of materials.
The findings pointed out to the presence
of distinct geographic variation in the
populations of V. nakashimae from
Japan and Korea, and similar geographic
differentiation among populations of V.
riukiuensis from southern Okinawa
prefecture, Japan. The similarity in
population parameters for these two
related species from different regions of
East Asia was unexpected.
The information will be helpful in
selecting populations for core collection
and in situ conservation. The wild Vigna
species studied are a potentially valuable
source of variation for improving
cultivated Asian Vigna. V. nakashimae
has been found to have resistance to
seed infesting insect pests and V.
riukiuensis is being used as a bridging
species to facilitate hybridization between
rice bean (V. umbellata) and adzuki bean
(V. angularis) [Duncan Vaughan, Crop
Evolutionary Dynamics Laboratory,
National Institute of Agrobiological
Resources, Kannondai 2-1-2,Tsukuba,
Ibaraki 305, Japan].
IPGRI supported programme on
cryopreservation of kiwi fruit
The Changli Institute of Pomology, Hebei
Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China,
undertook an IPGRI supported
programme on cryopreservation of kiwi
shoot tips. Research was carried out to
study the factors that affect the
cryopreservation of kiwi shoot tips and
No. 31
to establish the cryopreservation
programme of kiwi fruit tree in vitro shoot
tips. Different aspects studied were: i)
effect of sucrose concentration and pre
-culture time on the viability of in vitro
culture shoot tips, ii) effect of sucrose
pre-culture methods on the viability of
encapsulated and non-encapsulated
shoot tips, iii) effect of sucrose pre-
culture interval and temperature on the
viability of shoot tips, iv) effect of
dehydration time on the survival rate of
shoot tips, v) effect of sucrose pre-culture
method on the survival rate of shoot tips,
vi) effect of pre-freezing temperature on
the survival rate of shoot tips, and vii)
cryopreservation of kiwi fruit tree shoot
tips.
These experiments indicated that
compared to axillary buds, the shoot tip
material was better suited for
cryopreservation. The viability of shoot
tips was higher than that of the axillary
buds. Sucrose culture could improve the
cold resistance of shoot tips during
cryopreservation, which had been
testified in many reports. The experiment
also confirmed that the high sucrose pre
-culture was important for getting good
results. It was also concluded that the
solid sucrose medium pre-culture was
better than liquid sucrose pre-culture [Wu
Yongjie, Zhao Yanhua, Changli Institute
of Pomology, Hebei Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100 081,
China].
IPGRI promotes in situ
conservation of Fagopyrum
species in Nepal
l There is an increasing threat of
genetic erosion of crops and their
wild relatives globally due to several
man-made and natural causes. A
collaborative research project on in
situ conservation between Nepal
Agricultural Research Council
(NARC) and National Institute of
Agrobiological Resources (NIAR),
Japan has been in progress since
1998. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.)
is a staple food for local people in
the high altitude areas in Nepal and
NARC is focusing on exploration
and collecting of these species as
well as on their conservation and
use. Hence, it was considered
important to study the extent and
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
distribution of genetic diversity in
Fagopyrum spp. in Nepal and so
the collaborative research on in situ
conservation in Nepal was initiated.
The objectives of this study are to:
i) conduct field survey, ii) collect
seed samples for DNA analysis, and
iii) investigate genetic diversity of
Fagopyrum populations in situ.
The results so far indicate that F.
cymosum is distributed over a wide
area in Nepal and F. tataricum ssp.
potanini were found only in very
limited area of Mustang. Severe
grazing by water buffaloes and
goats was found to be a major threat
to the survival of Fagopyrum
species in the areas surveyed. In
order to investigate the genetic
diversity within and between
populations of F. cymosum, the
analysis of DNA variation is planned
for the materials collected by
scientists in Nepal [Abstracted from
IPGRI Project Report: Fukuoka, S.,
O. Ohnishi, H. P. Bimb, M. L.
Vaidya, D. R. Sharma and B K.
Baniya. 2000. Field Survey and
Collection of Fagopyrum Species for
In Situ Conservation in Nepal.
IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].
l Seeds of 11 populations of F.
cymosum were collected and two
accessions from China were used
as controls. Seeds were grown in a
greenhouse at NIAR to produce leaf
materials for RAPD studies. A
population from Lumle, Kaski
showed the highest diversity within
Nepalese material and another
population showed the highest
diversity among samples from Dolpa
district. Since they belonged to
different groups, both the
populations of F. cymosum should
be given priority for in situ
conservation in Nepal. Further
studies need to be undertaken to
monitor genetic structure within and
between populations at DNA level
[Abstracted from IPGRI Project
Report: Bimb, H.P., S. Fukuoka, K.
Ebana and T. Nagamine. 2000.
Genetic Variation in Nepalese Wild
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum cymosum)
revealed by RAPD markers. IPGRI-
APO, Serdang, Malaysia].
IPGRI supports studies on taro
cultivar classification and
taxonomy
Since the beginning of work on taro
(Colocasia esculenta L.), the national
partners indicated some confusion in taro
taxonomy and cultivar classification.
Considering the importance of this major
underutilized but potential food crop of
the region with two on-going regional
networks (Taro Genetic Resources
Network –TaroGen in the Pacific and
Taro Network for Southeast Asia and
Oceania – TANSAO), it was considered
important to redress this problem.
Consequently, Dr Alistair Hay, Royal
Botanical Garden, Sydney, Australia was
retained as a consultant to help in this
matter. During 1999, Dr Hay visited
collections in Malaysia, Thailand and
Vietnam and he noted very few errors of
classification, none in accessions of ‘true
taro’. A very few accessions of species
were found to be misidentified. Correct
identifications were conveyed directly to
the curators of the collections in three
countries. Dr Hay suggested
improvements in the methods of
management of taro collections and also
highlighted the need for enhanced
expertise in practical taxonomy of a
variety of economically important plant
families. The possibility for short-term
training courses is being examined.
During 2000, visits to other major taro
collections in China, Bangladesh, India
and Philippines are planned [Abstracted
from IPGRI-APO Project Report: Hay,
A. 2000. Report on Taro Consultancy.
IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].
IPGRI strengthens its strategy
for in situ conservation
In situ conservation of agro-biodiversity
has been one of the strategic choices of
improving conservation strategies and
technologies by the International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). A
major challenge for in situ conservation
is the development of the knowledge
needed in national programmes to
determine where, when and how in situ
conservation will be effective. In 1995,
in response to this challenge, IPGRI and
its national programmes formulated the
global project ”Strengthening scientific
basis of in situ conservation of agro-
biodiversity on-farm”. Nine countries
6
have participated in the project. Major
objectives, hypotheses and preliminary
activities for the project were decided in
1995 during the first phase of the project.
The Project began in 1996 and in 1997,
major units of data and methodologies
for participatory and empirical data
collection were discussed and six
thematic groups were formed: (i) social,
economic and cultural factors, (ii) farmer
selection of agromorphological
characters, (iii) crop population and
breeding systems, (iv) agroecosystem
factors, (v) seed systems, and (vi) adding
value to local crop resources. In 1999,
the partners met again in Nepal to
compare and analyse data collected from
participating countries, discuss
methodologies for data integration within
the thematic areas, synthesize methods
used to enhance benefits from local crop
diversity to all stakeholders, and discuss
progress in increasing access,
participation and decision-making for
different gender, age and cultural groups.
During Nepal meeting, IPGRI decided
to hold two participatory planning and
review meetings in order to strengthen
the strategy and management aspect of
the Project. First, the project scanning
was done in Nairobi in 19-24 January
2000 followed by the Phase II Global
project planning exercise in Agadir,
Morocco from 9 to 13 April 2000.
The main objectives of the Nairobi
meeting were to: (i) review the
accomplishments of the regional staff
within the in situ project; (ii) discuss
problems and constraints, both
administrative and technical, that the
project team has encountered; (iii)
consolidate experiences of useful
practices that facilitated project
implementation; (iv) begin harmonizing
the technical and administrative aspects
of the project, and (v) begin initial
preparations for the 2000 Global Project
Planning Meeting scheduled for April in
Agadir. On behalf of APO region, Dr V.
Ramanath Rao, Dr Paul Quek and Dr
Bhuwon Sthapit participated in the
Narobi meeting. The most important
impact of the meeting has been that
IPGRI is strengthening its strategy for
conservation in situ and also
strengthening participatory planning and
review process within the project
staff.
7 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
Soon after Nairobi meeting, ZOPP
planning meeting was held in Morocco.
National partners, IPGRI’s regional and
HQ staff, technical advisers and
representatives of donors participated in
the workshop. Dr Bhuwon Sthapit from
APO region took part in the meeting.
The objective of the Agadir workshop
was to plan for the next three years of
global project implementation using the
goal-oriented project planning method
ZOPP. The meeting was opened on
behalf of the Minister of Agriculture who
welcomed the participants and
expressed the Ministry’s belief in the
importance of conserving agricultural
biodiversity for the present and future
use for food security. On behalf of IPGRI,
Dr Jan Engels, spoke on how the project
was foraging lasting partnerships
between researchers, government
officials and farmers. Dr Ahmed Birouk,
the Moroccan national project co-
ordinator welcomed the participants and
wished them a fruitful and enjoyable stay
in Morocco.
Dr Devra Jarvis, the Global Project Co-
ordinator reviewed the status of the
project to-date, and presented the
outputs achieved at the end of phase II
(31 December 1999). The planning
workshop reviewed all recommendations
put forward by the SDC and NEDA
external reviewers in a participatory
manner and most recommendations
were incorporated into the global project
planning.
Four major outputs of the second phase
agreed by the planning groups in
Morocco were as follows:
l Framework of knowledge on on-
farm management of genetic
diversity developed
l Capacity and partner links among
institutions and organizations to
implement in situ conservation
strengthened
l Process of integrating conservation
and use of agro-biodiversity into
sustainable agriculture development
understood
l Global project management
(strategic planning and cross
country exchanges) improved.
The participants also agreed to improve
the mechanisms for global strategic
planning and cross-country exchanges
by broadening the base of representation
in project planning, monitoring and
evaluation. This included the
establishment of a broad-based Project
Orientation Committee (POC) and
enlarging the role of global meetings to
include planning responsibilities. The
planning process was open with
participatory spirit and all participants
agreed on all the elements of the Project
Planning Matrix [Bhuwon Sthapit and
Devra Jarvis, IPGRI In situ Project].
Activities of the Asian
Agri-History Foundation
The Asian Agri-History Foundation
(AAHF), a non-profit trust, was
established in 1994 to promote interest
in the rich history of agriculture of South
and Southeast Asia. The main activities
of AAHF are to: i) publish the
international quarterly journal of Asian
Agri-History, and ii) publish translations
of old manuscripts as bulletins. Other
activities include: i) supporting research
in universities, ii) organizing seminars,
summer schools, etc., and iii) promoting
inclusion of course work in history of
agriculture in university curricula. The
AAHF has so far published two bulletins.
The first one, Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda
(The Science of Plant Life), is a 1000-
year old manuscript in Sanskrit and the
second one Krishi-Parashara (Agriculture
by Parashara) is a 2000-year old text,
also in Sanskrit. Both have been
translated into English and the contents
have been analyzed scientifically through
commentaries written by experts. One
more bulletin, Nuskha Dar Fanni-Falahat
(The Art of Agriculture), written in Persian
during the reign of the Mughal emperor
Jahangir (1605-1622), is in advance
stage of publication. Surapala’s
Vrikshayurveda has already been
acclaimed as an excellent treatise on
arbori-horticulture practised about 1000
years ago.
Another important event in which AAHF
had participated actively was a 3-week
Summer School on ‘Ancient and
medieval history of Indian agriculture and
its relevance to sustainable agriculture
in the 21st century’ held from 28 May to
No. 31
17 June 1999 at the Rajasthan College
of Agriculture (RCA), Udaipur, India [For
more information contact: Chairman, The
Asian Agri-History Foundation, 47
ICRISAT Colony-I, Brig. Sayeed Road,
Secunderabad 500 009, Andhra
Pradesh, India].
Bamboo and Rattan, and
Forest Genetic Resources
Update
The highlights of activities relating to
bamboo and rattan and the forest genetic
resources are summarized as under:
Bamboo and Rattan
Species prioritization: In collaboration
with INBAR, the second edition of
“Priority Species of Bamboo and Rattan”
has been published and widely
distributed. In this edition, an increase
in the number of useful and/or
commercially important species within a
country have been added and briefly
described. New or additional information
is added on distribution, climate and soil,
current on-going research, untapped
potential, conservation status, uses and
research needs on each of the priority
species, outlines for further research on
conservation, production and sustainable
utilization of various species. In case of
rattan, species that were originally
included in the family group of Calamus,
section Podocephalus and immediate
relatives or sister species of C.
subinermis, C. palustris and C. hollrungii
are now individually described,
highlighting their distribution and
commercial value. Ambiguities regarding
common names, synonyms and local
names have been clarified [Abstracted
from Rao, A.N, V. Ramanatha Rao and
J.T. Williams (eds) 1998. Priority Species
of Bamboo and Rattan. IPGRI and
INBAR. IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].
Assessing patterns of genetic
variation: The University of Agricultural
Sciences and the Ashoka Trust for
Research in Ecology and the
Environment (ATREE), Bangalore were
supported to conduct work on mapping
of genetic diversity of bamboo and rattan
in Western Ghats of India. The work was
carried out to evaluate the status of
genetic diversity of the identified
populations and to develop the resource
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
status maps of bamboo and rattan to
construct spatial and temporal patterns
of loss of their populations. About 24
species of bamboo and 19 of rattan were
found in the Western Ghats. Studies
were conducted to estimate the genetic
diversity of natural populations of
bamboo and rattan using isozyme
electrophoresis. Six (MR, PGI, PGM,
SKDH, G6PDH, ME) out of the fifteen
enzyme systems initially assayed
showed consistently good resolution.
Further work is continuing.
Ochlandra scriptoria is a gregarious
shrubby bamboo occurring over a
relatively restricted area in the Western
Ghats. It is extensively harvested and
used in mat and basket making. Despite
its economic importance, little is known
about its distribution. Genetic variability
of five populations in Karnataka were
analyzed using allozymes. No clear
genetic differentiation based on
geographic distribution could be
observed. Lack of differentiation may be
due to the fact that O. scriptoria is a
sporadically flowering and non-masting
bamboo, which might facilitate a good
exchange of genepool through either
pollen or seeds. The results suggest that
conservation plans should be based on
genetic variability rather than
geographical distribution of the
populations [Abstracted from IPGRI
Project Report: Shanker, R.U. and
K.N.Ganeshaiah.1999. Mapping genetic
diversity of bamboo and rattans in the
Western Ghats of India. IPGRI-APO,
Serdang, Malaysia].
Processes regulating genetic
diversity: The impact of human activity
on genetic diversity of bamboo and
rattan is being studied in the Western
Ghats of India, to examine the social
and economic consequences of the loss
of bamboo and rattan resources in the
state of Karnataka. Specifically, the study
attempts to: a) determine the degree of
extraction of, and economic reliance on,
bamboo and rattan resources at the local
and state level, b) identify the social and
economic factors responsible for the
decline in the two resources, and c)
examine the social and economic
consequences of the decline in bamboo
and rattan resources. The study has
shown that there has been a noticeable
decrease in the amount of bamboo
extracted from the forest of Karnataka
over the last three decades reflecting
perhaps, the decrease in the resources.
Analysis of the potential consumption
and production of bamboo in the state
suggests that the requirements may
soon outmatch the supply and the worst
affected will be the traditional user
groups and a few industries, that depend
almost exclusively on the bamboo and
rattan resources to eke out a living.
[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:
Shanker, R.U. 1999. Socio-economic
causes and consequences of loss of
bamboo and rattan resources in
Karnataka. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,
Malaysia].
Ex situ and in situ conservation: A
study on the phenology of 10 bamboo
species and low cost method of
micropropagation for 5 species carried
out by the Tropical Botanic Garden and
Research Institute, Palode, Kerala, India
have been completed. The bamboos
studied included Bambusa bambos, B.
polymorpha, B. vulgaris, Cephalostachyum
pergracile, Dendrocalamus brandisii, D.
giganteus, D. strictus, Melocanna
baccifera, Ochlandra scriptoria and
Thyrsostachys siamensis. The study
reported that all the species investigated
grew well in Kerala except for B.
polymorpha. The 3 phases in the
development of a culm (reported by other
workers) i.e. culm elongation, thorn
emergence and leaf appearance were
also observed for these genera although
variations occurred. The rhizome
separation technique was used for
macropropagation studies of 5
commercially important species,
Dendrocalamus giganteus, D.
membranaceus, D. strictus, Ochlandra
scriptoria and Thyrsostachys siamensis.
This technique proved successful for all
the 5 species tested. By keeping the
plants in a humidity chamber for 15 days,
an increase in the number of tillers could
be obtained. Humidity also reduced
mortality, and increased the number of
sprouts and therefore is recommended
for macroproliferation of these species
[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:
Koshy, K.C. 1999. Phenological studies
on promising Asian bamboos and
standardization of low cost method of
macropropagation. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,
Malaysia].
8
Facilitating regional cooperation and
networking : To further strengthen
collaboration between International
Network on Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
and IPGRI-APO in bamboo and rattan
research, MOU was signed in June
1999. The signing of the MOU further
signifies the close collaboration between
the two organizations in their efforts to
promote the conservation, production
and use of these two economically
valuable non-wood forest resources in
the region. Efforts are underway for a
number of joint activities including
publications, workshops and
development of proposals.
Training and Meetings: The meetings
in which IPGRI-APO and its partners
have participated included: (i)
International Workshop on Bamboo and
Rattan Biodiversity, Conservation,
Utilization and Technology Exchange.
April 11-23, 1999. Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, and (ii) Consultative meeting
on Bamboo and Rattan, 19 May 1999.
Bogor, Indonesia.
The proceedings of rattan training
course/workshop organized in 1996 have
been published and distributed (Rao,
A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao (editors)
1999. Rattan– Taxonomy, Ecology,
Silviculture, Conservation, Genetic
Improvement and Biotechnology,
Proceedings of Training Course-cum-
Workshop, Sarawak and Sabah. April
14-26, 1996. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,
Malaysia and INBAR, Beijing, China.
255 p. Also the proceedings of training
course/workshop on bamboo has been
recently published and distributed widely
(Rao, A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao,
editors, 1999. Bamboo – Conservation,
Diversity, Ecogeography, Germplasm,
Resource Utilization and Taxonomy.
Proceedings of the Bamboo Training
Course-cum-Workshop, May 10 -17,
1998, Kunming and Xishuangbanna,
Yunnan, China. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,
Malaysia and INBAR, Beijing, China. 275 p.).
Forest Genetic Resources
Threatened tree species in Vietnam:
Research activities on forest genetic
resources in Vietnam focus on
threatened tree species. IPGRI’s
partners at Research Centre for Forest
Tree Improvement of the Forest Science
9 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
Institute of Vietnam are carrying out
detailed assessments on Pterocarpus
macrocarpus, Xylia xylocarpa, Dalbergia
oliveri and Chukrasia tabularis. In the
past , these species occurred widely but
now they are on the verge of extinction
and require urgent conservation actions.
P. macrocarpus and X. xylocarpa occur
in semi-deciduous or deciduous forests
while D. oliveri and C. tabularis mainly
grow in evergreen forests. All the four
species are light-demanding and though
their natural regeneration potential
seems to be high, except in P.
macrocarpus, over-exploitation keeps the
species at endangered level. The
surveys showed that presently these
species could only be found in some
national parks and conservation areas.
Changes in forest cover were assessed
between 1973-1995 and it was found
that, in some locations, forest cover
decreased remarkably (20–35%) during
this period whereas other locations faced
only small reductions (3–7%). Most of
the deforested areas were converted into
agricultural and residential land.
Socioeconomic studies showed that,
although major source of employment
for local people is paddy and milpa
cultivation, they also utilize forests for
their livelihood. Farmers, including ethnic
minorities, are extensively using wood
for house building and cooking. It was
estimated that about 10 m3 of wood is
required to build a house and that the
average fuelwood consumption for each
family of 5-6 people is 15-20 m3 per year.
Timber of the four species is often used
for furniture, decoration and construction.
Timber of D. oliveri is also used for fine
handicrafts owing to the distinctively
contrasting colours of sapwood and
heartwood. X. xylocarpa poles are often
used as support for growing pepper. Ox-
cart is an another common way of using
X. xylocarpa wood.
Representative populations of the
species have been selected for
conservation and further investigations.
Future efforts will focus on assessing
genetic diversity among different
populations by isozyme studies
[FORGEN News 2000 (in print) and a
progress report by Professor Le Dinh
Kha].
No. 31
Conservation of forest genetic diversity. It has also increased
resources in India: Scientists from the understanding of the underlying
University of Agricultural Sciences, processes that govern the genetic
Bangalore, India and the University of differentiation of the populations of these
Massachusetts, Boston, USA along with two species in the Western Ghats.
The Ashoka Trust for Research in
Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) Scientists analysed the genetic variability
and the Karnataka Forest Department of 13 sandal populations from four
southern States of India (Kerala, Tamil
have been addressing in situ
conservation issues for bamboo and Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh)
sandal in the Western Ghats, Southern in order to identify hot-spots of genetic
India, supported by IPGRI and Centre variability for in situ conservation.
for International Forestry Research Population genetic variability was
(CIFOR). The project has produced assessed using allozyme analysis
spatially explicit information on the involving six loci. Observed
distribution of intraspecific genetic heterozygosity over all populations and
New Professional Staff at IPGRI-APO
Mr L.T. Hong has joined IPGRI as the Bamboo and
Rattan and Forest Genetic Resources Specialist with
effect from 1 February 2000. His main task is to
coordinate research activities on Bamboo and Rattan.
He will also assist in the work on conservation of Forest
Genetic Resources. Mr Hong possesses a B.Sc. Degree
with honours from the University Malaya and M.Sc.
from the University of Oxford, U.K. Prior to joining IPGRI,
he was with the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Malaysia
for about 27 years, as a researcher and later as a research manager. His last
posting in FRIM was as Director of the Techno-Economics Division. He has
worked in the fields of forest protection, timber and non-timber (bamboo and
rattan) processing and utilization. At FRIM, he had worked specifically in the
areas of natural and plantation forest management, processing and utilization
of timber, and bamboo and rattan. He had been Chairman of the Research
Projects Evaluation Committee at FRIM and also the Chairman of a sub-
committee of the national IRPA research programme. He has published more
than 80 scientific and popular articles and has co-edited two books on timber
processing.
Dr Jarkko Koskela has joined IPGRI as an Associate
Scientist (Forest Genetic Resources) with effect from
28 February 2000. He is a Finnish citizen, and obtained
his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Silviculture from the University
of Helsinki, Finland. Before joining IPGRI, Dr Koskela
worked as a researcher in the Tropical Silviculture Unit,
Department of Forest Ecology, University of Helsinki
since 1994 and was mainly involved in a research
project focusing on rehabilitation of forest ecosystems in Thailand and Indonesia.
He conducted fieldwork in Thailand for his Ph.D. on the growth and
ecophysiology of grass-stage Pinus merkusii seedlings. In addition, the Tropical
Silviculture Unit has implemented research activities in China, Kenya, Tanzania,
Sudan, Ghana, Ethiopia and Costa Rica in collaboration with local scientists.
Dr Koskela is also familiar with European research collaboration on tropical
forests, as the Tropical Silviculture Unit is a national nodal point of the European
Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN).
We welcome Mr L.T. Hong and Dr J. Koskela to IPGRI.
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
over all loci was 30.0%, which is
comparable with the estimates reported
earlier for other tropical trees.
Populations from southern Karnataka,
which are in the core of the geographical
distribution of sandal, exhibited the
highest observed heterozygosity (39.1%)
as compared to that from northern
Karnataka (33.5%), Tamil Nadu (30.0%),
Andhra Pradesh (23.33%) and Kerala
(29.4%).
The high genetic diversity of the southern
Karnataka populations might be
explained by the fact that being located
in the core of the distribution range, the
populations can exchange genepool with
many other populations. Population
differentiation statistics indicated a poor
separation of the individual populations
based on their geographic origin. There
appeared to be two major clusters, one
of them comprising populations from
southern Karnataka and the other all the
remaining populations. This suggests
that in situ conservation measures on
sandal should focus on the populations
in southern Karnataka but also include
representatives from other populations
of the entire distribution range [FORGEN
News 2000 (in print)].
National
BHUTAN
A Gift to the Earth - From
the People of Bhutan
On 2 November 1999, Her Majesty, the
Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck
presided over a function at Thimphu
organized by the Ministry of Agriculture
to launch a Network establishing the
wilderness corridor stretching over 3800
km 2 in the country. The area was
identified by the Forestry Services
Division with assistance from the World
Wide Fund (WWF). The corridor will link
all the protected areas in the Kingdom.
The network stretches from the tropical
south to the alpine north and is a step
forward for conservation of endangered
species. The corridor of mainly
continuous and virgin forest is a ‘Gift to
the Earth’ from the People of Bhutan.
Her Majesty said that the rate of species
extinction was the highest at present
Regional Workshop on
National Biodiversity
Strategy Action Plan
(NBSAP)
In order to share experiences of other
South Asian countries in developing the
NBSAP, a regional workshop was
organized by the World Conservation
Union (IUCN), Bangladesh Country
Office in collaboration with the Ministry
of Environment and Forest, Bangladesh
and the IUCN Asia Regional Biodiversity
Programme at Rajendrapur, Bangladesh
from 13-16 February 2000. The
workshop was attended by the
participants from Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka
representing government, universities,
research institutes, IUCN and NGOs
concerned with biodiversity. Financial
support for the workshop was provided
by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), Global
Environment Facility (GEF), Biodiversity
Planning Support Programme (BPSP),
the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation (SDC), and the German
Federal Ministry for Economic
than at any other time in history and
Bhutan’s ‘Gift to the Earth’ would have
far reaching effect of our efforts in
conserving our biological heritage. The
Agriculture Minister, Lyonpo (Dr) Kinzang
Dorji described the Gift as a landmark
event in the history of Nature
Conservation in Bhutan and a growing
tribute to His Majesty, the King. Also
speaking at the event, Dr Bruce Bunting,
the WWF Vice President for the Asia
and the Pacific Region said that Bhutan’s
Gift would play a major role in long term
conservation of the increasingly
threatened Eastern Himalayan Eco-
region [Druk Forestry News, Issue No.27,
December 1999].
Forest Genetic Resources:
Conservation and
Sustainable Utilization
It is the Royal Government of Bhutan’s
policy to maintain at least 60% of its
10
Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Besides global overview and sharing of
experiences of Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
and Sri Lanka in preparing the NBSAP,
three papers from Bangladesh were also
presented. These dealt with: i) status of
floral diversity of Bangladesh by Mr Farid
Uddin Ahmed, Member Director
(Forestry), Bangladesh Agricultural
Research Council, Dhaka, ii) status of
faunal diversity of Bangladesh by Dr
Mahmudul Amin, Professor, Department
of Zoology, Dhaka University, and iii)
need for National Biodiversity Strategy
Action Plan by Mr Sunil Kanti Bose,
Deputy Secretary (Environment), Ministry
of Environment and Forests,
Government of Bangladesh. On the
basis of experience gained from the
papers presented and discussions held,
the workshop developed general
recommendations for NBSAP and also
made specific recommendations for
Bangladesh on conservation and
management of biodiversity [For more
details contact: Mr Farid Uddin Ahmed,
Member Director (Forestry), Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Council, Farmgate,
Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh; Email:
farid@citechco.net].
total land area under forest cover.
Resource use will be governed by
principles of sustainability incorporated
in Forest Management Plans
demonstrating protected areas.
Management of forest resources outside
the protected area network is carried out
within a system of Forest Management
Units (FMUs). It is envisaged that
existing and potential FMUs will play an
important role in biodiversity
conservation, provide buffers and genetic
corridors between the protected areas.
Forest policy of Bhutan aims to ensure
that forest resources are used according
to principles of sustainability, contributing
to social justice and equity. The policy
ensures conservation taking priority over
utilization of forest resources to derive
economic benefits. The Forest and
Nature Conservation Act of 1995 which
replaced the Forest Act of 1969 provides
a legal context for the protection of the
11 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
country’s forests and biodiversity.
Increased concern has been expressed
on threat to genetic resources
conservation due to the effect of logging
and shifting cultivation, overgrazing,
degradation of habitats and clearing of
land for agriculture. Organized efforts on
research and development policy
implementation, participatory approaches
and inventory of resources, human
resources development and public
awareness assume priority in
conservation and management
[Abstracted from an article by Nawang
Norbu, Druk Forestry News, Issue No.27,
December 1999].
AVRDC Cherry Tomato
Variety Released
A hardy cherry tomato variety CHT 160
developed by AVRDC has found a
welcome place in the kitchen gardens of
Bhutan, where it is contributing to year-
round nutrition. This variety has been
found tolerant to light frost, and can be
grown up to December in the mid-hills.
It is indeterminate and bears round,
bright red fully ripe fruits. Its seeds are
being multiplied and will be distributed
to growers through the Druk Seed
Corporation [Center Point, Vol.17, No.3,
December 1999].
CHINA
Effect of Seed Ageing on
Seed Viability and Vigour
A study on the effect of ageing on seed
viability and vigour in rice was conducted
at the Institute of Crop Germplasm
Resources, Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
Seeds were stored at ambient, 45oC and
58 o C conditions. Changes in seed
viability and seed vigour during ageing
process were measured to study seed
viability loss and to determine warning
index for seed viability loss. Seed viability
survival curves obtained across different
rice accessions and different ageing
conditions indicated that seed viability
declined inconsistently during storage.
For each variety, a rapid viability-
declining phase was observed during the
seed ageing irrespective of the survival
curve. Mean values of germination
potential, germination percentage, dry
weight of roots and shoots, germination
index and vigour index were calculated
for 34 japonica and 30 indica rice
accessions kept at 45oC. The analysis
of variance showed that seed
germination potential, dry weight of roots
and shoots, germination index and vigour
index declined significantly before the
germination percentage did so. It also
showed that seed germination was
prolonged and the seedlings were
significantly weakened before the start
of the rapid declining phase of seed
viability. These two parameters could be
used to indicate whether the seed quality
had deteriorated, while the rate of
compatibility of tests (RCT) and
coefficient of variation (CV) could be
used as warning indices on the overall
quality of a group of accessions. These
warning indices could also be used in
monitoring the viability of seeds stored
in the National Genebank [Lu Xinrong,
Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources,
Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China].
National Azolla Germplasm
Centre
The National Azolla Germplasm Centre
stores more than 500 accessions
representing all the six Azolla species.
These accessions are from different
countries and regions of the 5 continents,
including the indigenous materials (more
than 100 strains) collected from China.
Materials produced from sexual
hybridization, recombination of
Anabaena-free Azolla with Anabaena
azollae, and radiation mutants are also
included in the collections. The
collections are maintained as meristem
tip culture in the greenhouse and are
also planted in the net house.
The common name of Azolla is
Hongping. It is an aquatic alga that
belongs to Azollaceae under the
subgenera, Euazolla and Rhizosperma;
Euazolla includes 4 species Azolla
filiculoides, A. mexicana, A. caroliniana
and A. microphylla; and Rhizosperma, 2
species (A. nilotica and A. pinnata). The
N-fixing Anabaena azollae are located
in Azolla leaf cavities and fix nitrogen
from atmosphere [Xu Guozhong,
National Azolla Research Centre of
Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences,
Fuzhou 350013, China].
No. 31
INDIA
Oilseeds and Oils -
Research and
Development
A National Seminar on “Oilseeds and
Oils - Research and Development Needs
in the Millennium” was organized from
2-4 February 2000 at Hyderabad by the
Indian Society for Oilseeds Research
(ISOR) and the Directorate of Oilseeds
Research (DOR), Hyderabad covering
important aspects relating to oilseeds
research, development, production,
processing, marketing and policy issues.
The objective was to take stock of the
current oilseeds scenario in India and to
formulate strategies and action plans for
the growth of oilseed production in the
current Millennium. There were 50 invited
lectures by eminent persons and 275
poster presentations on the themes
identified for the seminar, viz.,
biodiversity conservation, diversification
of production systems, biotechnology
and oilseeds improvement, hybrid
research and development, input use
efficiency, biotic stresses management,
abiotic stresses management, quality
improvement, processing, product
development and value addition,
diversified sources of oil, transfer of
technology and policy intervention. Over
400 delegates including eminent
scientists, research managers,
industrialists, administrators and policy
makers participated. IPGRI was
represented by Dr Bhag Mal who
presented a paper on ‘Biodiversity
Conservation and Management in
Oilseed Crops’. The deliberations of
different sessions and the fruitful
interactions on diverse issues related to
oilseeds resulted in the following
important recommendations: i) augment
information on the available germplasm
to protect native diversity; ii) increase in
non-traditional areas with proper crop
management for production of oilseeds;
iii) biotechnology application to introgress
useful traits from allied sources and
exploit molecular marker technologies;
iv) enhance research efforts on heterosis
breeding in sesame and safflower with
possible identification of CMS lines;
(Contd. on page 13)
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
COGENT Update
ADB-funded Project
The ADB-funded project ‘Coconut
Germplasm Collecting, Characterization
and Conservation in Cook Islands,
Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu’,
aims to collect available diversity of local
coconut populations which will be used
by the countries to mitigate genetic
erosion due to population pressure, palm
ageing and natural hazards (cyclones
and sea level rise) and to develop
improved varieties. The collected
precious germplasm will be conserved
and used to develop better varieties for
the atolls, enrich the collection of the
PNG hosted-International Coconut
Genebank for the South Pacific (ICG-
SSP), and facilitate the exchange of
important cultivars with other countries
in the future. The morphometric
description and the molecular markers
analysis of these populations will not only
generate information on genetic diversity
within these collections but also improve
the knowledge on the origin and
dissemination of coconut in the Pacific
Islands.
The objectives of the project are to train
researchers in collecting and coconut
breeding techniques; collect seednuts
and embryos of five local populations;
send the embryos to the Secretariat of
the Pacific Community (SPC), which will
grow and subsequently transfer in vitro
seedlings to the International Coconut
Genebank (ICG) for the South Pacific in
Papua New Guinea; gather passport
data of identified populations and
conserve germplasm in situ; plant the
collected germplasm in the genebank of
the four countries; and submit passport
data to the Coconut Genetic Resources
Database (CGRD).
IFAD-funded Project
Under the IFAD-funded project
‘Sustainable Use of Coconut Genetic
Resources to Enhance Incomes and
Nutrition of Coconut Smallholders in the
Asia Pacific Region’, selected COGENT
member countries in the Asia Pacific
region will conduct a study entitled,
“Feasibility studies on the establishment
of integrated coconut processing projects
to produce products from coconut husk
and handicrafts from coconut shell and
identification of suitable varieties for the
identified viable products”. The countries
involved include Bangladesh, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The
target coconut products are geotextile,
coir fibre, handicrafts and coir pith.
The objectives of the project are to
assess the various aspects of producing
and marketing processed coconut
products from coconut husk and shell;
recommend viable production modules
for use in the participating countries;
identify the coconut varieties suitable for
the identified products; and source and
ship coconut fibre-making equipment to
the participating countries.
CFC-funded Project
Six countries in South America and
Africa are participating in the CFC-
funded project entitled, “Coconut
Germplasm Utilization and Conservation
to Promote Sustainable Coconut
Production”. The countries involved are
Benin, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica,
Mexico and Tanzania. The aim of the
project is to assist the national
programmes of the selected countries in
conducting multi-location trials to identify
hybrids or varieties with better yield and
broaden adaptation compared to local
cultivars. Côte d’Ivoire has successfully
produced 5400 seednuts of six hybrids
and shipped to the designated trial sites
of the other participating countries. At
least 150 seednuts each of the four
selected local varieties have been
produced and sown in the nursery of
the research facilities for the six
participating countries.
DFID-funded Project
In a DFID-funded project ‘Improvement
of In Vitro Techniques for Collecting and
Exchange of Coconut Germplasm’,
thirteen laboratories in 11 countries are
conducting a 2-year research to refine
the coconut embryo culture and
acclimatization technology. The countries
involved are Brazil, China, Cuba, France,
India, Indonesia, Mexico, Papua New
Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka and
12
Tanzania. Mexico, France and Tanzania
are funding their own studies. A survey
questionnaire on the current application
of coconut embryo in vitro was
distributed to institutions worldwide at the
start of the project. The survey showed
that the poor results of the overall
protocol were mainly due to percentage
of embryos developing into whole
plantlets in vitro. The acclimatization
phase of the in vitro plantlets was,
however, relatively efficient.
The main part of the project was the
testing of the four main in vitro culture
protocols available from PCA, UPLB,
CPCRI and ORSTOM, alongwith those
used by the participating laboratories.
The aim was to compare the efficiency
of the protocols using locally available
varieties.
Additional researches were also
performed on topics such as the effect
of various growth regulations on the
germination of embryos, physiological
aspects, and medium-term in vitro
conservation of the embryos. Results of
these physiological studies in
participating laboratories in France, India,
Mexico, Philippines, Sri Lanka and
Tanzania have provided a better initial
understanding of the effect of culture
media, light, carbon dioxide,
temperature, growth promoters and
inhibitors, and nutrients on the survival
rates of in vitro embryo-derived
seedlings.
The second International Coconut
Embryo Culture Workshop was held from
14-17 March 2000 at the Centro de
Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan
(CICY), Mexico. Thirty one participants
attended the workshop, which included
researchers, project leaders from 15
countries and resource persons from
IPGRI, COGENT and collaborating
partner institutions.
The workshop was conducted to: i)
review recent research on coconut
embryo culture and acclimatization and
upgrade protocols for increased
efficiency; ii) develop research and
development project proposals for
13 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
submission to appropriate donors; iii)
strengthen research collaboration among
the members of the Coconut Embryo
Culture Project Network.
ADB and IFAD Funded
Project Annual Meetings
The annual meetings for the ADB and
IFAD funded projects, specifically for the
10 participating South Pacific countries,
will be held back-to-back from 26 - 30
June 2000 in Apia, Samoa, while the
meetings for the 10 Asian countries will
be held back-to-back from 10 - 15 July
2000 in Manila, Philippines.
The third annual meeting of the ADB
funded project entitled “Coconut Genetic
Resources Strengthening in Asia and the
Pacific (Phase 2)” will review the 1999/
2000 accomplishments and 2000/2001
proposed work plans of the 20
participating countries involved in
coconut projects.
The third annual meeting for the IFAD
funded project entitled, “Sustainable Use
of Coconut Genetic Resources for
Enhancing the Income and Nutrition of
Smallholders in Asia and the Pacific” will
review the 3-year accomplishments of
the 14 countries involved in the project
which will end in August 2000.
The project leaders of both the ADB and
IFAD funded projects, donors and
representatives from IPGRI and partner
institutions will attend the two meetings.
(Contd. from page 11)
v) integrated nutrient, water and weed
management, with emphasis on
improved input use efficiency, reduced
cost of cultivation and enhanced
competitiveness; vi) IPM should be
practised in oilseeds for all the key pests
besides developing resistant varieties
through multidisciplinary approach; vii)
exploit the concept of crop modelling for
predicting yield, resource optimization,
etc.; ix) high priority accorded to export
promotion through the value added
products in oilseeds with active support
and involvement of industry and export
organizations, in collaboration with
public sector agencies besides
commercialization of the existing viable
International Coconut
Genebank Workshop
The International Coconut Genebank
Workshop will be held at Chennai, India
from 17-18 July 2000 and will be hosted
by the Central Plantation Crops
Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasargod,
India. COGENT is establishing a multi-
site International Coconut Genebank
(ICG) in India for South Asia. The
meeting will review the progress of work
on the establishment of each ICG in the
host countries, and related ongoing
research projects and work plans, and
budgets for the next seven years.
9th COGENT Steering
Committee Meeting
The COGENT Steering Committee (SC)
determines programme priorities and
oversees the various COGENT activities.
The 9th SC Meeting will be held from
19 – 21 July 2000 in Chennai, India.
The SC members and representatives
from partner institutions will attend the
meeting. Specifically, the meeting will
review progress of the five COGENT
regional networks, projects and activities
in COGENT, IPGRI and collaborating
partner institutions. It will also discuss
the COGENT work and action plan for
the Year 2000 and draft plan for the Year
2001. The meeting will be funded by
IPGRI/COGENT.
technologies; x) popularization of
improved farm implements for various
field and post-harvest operations; xi)
rational and conjunctive use of vegetable
oils; and xii) highlighting the success
stories of the technologies in the
background of indigenous technical
knowledge with emphasis on farmers’
participation including gender issues [Dr
D.M. Hegde, Project Director, Directorate
of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad
500 030, India].
PGR Activities in Mulberry
The Silkworm and Mulberry Germplasm
Station (SMGS), Hosur, is the national
nodal organization for all PGR activities
related to mulberry in India. Recently,
ICAR/NBPGR has recognized this
No. 31
International Coconut
Conference (ICC)
The International Coconut Conference
(ICC) will be held from 24 - 28 July 2000
in Chennai, India, within the ambit of the
APCC XXXVII COCOTECH Meeting. The
conference will be hosted by the
Government of India through the Coconut
Development Board. The conference will
review the performance of the various
sectors of the coconut industry to identify
problems and opportunities to be
addressed in the new millennium. The
conference’s recommendations will be
used as a guide in developing project
proposals to address priority activities.
The conference will be jointly sponsored
by the APCC, BUROTROP and IPGRI/COGENT.
Coconut Embryo Culture
Training Course
The Coconut Embryo Culture Training
Course will be held from 2 - 6 October
2000 in Albay, Philippines. The course will
teach project leaders from COGENT
member countries the upgraded and
standardized embryo culture technology
to enable them to exchange germplasm
in the form of embryo-derived in vitro
seedlings. The training course will be
hosted by the Albay Research Centre of
the Philippine Coconut Authority and
funded by ADB, DFID and IPGRI/COGENT.
[For details contact: Dr P. Batugal,
COGENT Coordinator, IPGRI-APO,
Serdang, Malaysia].
station as a ‘National Active Germplasm
Site for Mulberry Germplasm’.
Henceforth, all materials related to
mulberry germplasm, import/export,
quarantine, phytosanitary certification in
the country will be routed through
SMGS.
The station has brought out two
catalogues on Indian mulberry and
silkworm germplasm containing data on
characterization and preliminary
evaluation. The Central Silk Board has
agreed to establish a network for
conservation and evaluation of mulberry
and silkworm germplasm in India. SMGS
as nodal agency is maintaining the base
collections and monitoring the
conservation activities of different units,
which would be functioning as Active
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
Sites. Further, SMGS will also implement
the ‘All India Coordinated Mulberry and
Silk Evaluation Programme’ involving
these units.
Altogether, 806 mulberry accessions are
being maintained of which 568 are
indigenous and 238 exotic. Each
accession is represented by four dwarf
trees with a spacing of 2.5-3.0 m and a
crown height of 1.5 m. The station has
developed the information system for
mulberry and silkworm germplasm [For
more details contact: Dr S.B. Dandin,
Director, Silkworm and Mulberry
Germplasm Station, Central Silk Board,
PB No.44, Thally Road, Hosur 635 109,
Tamil Nadu, India].
National Agricultural
Technology Project on
Household Food and
Nutritional Security
The Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR), launched a three year
project on “Household Food and
Nutritional Security” with a mission to
increase production and productivity of
life support crop species and allied
enterprises of tribal, backward and hilly
areas. It was inaugurated by Professor
M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation
(MSSRF), Chennai, on March 10, 2000.
It will be operated under the World Bank
funded National Agricultural Technology
Project (NATP).
The project aims at increased production
of local crop species such as amaranth,
finger millet, kodo millet, Lathyrus, and
safflower. Special attention will be paid
to rejuvenate fruit orchards of citrus and
mango, and to develop adequate
storage facilities and post-harvest
management. There is also emphasis
on improving livestock breeds
maintained by local farmers and
organizing fish farming in tribal and hilly
areas. The activities will also focus on
adopting value-added technologies that
will increase the shelf-life of agri-
products. Development and
popularization of efficient tools,
implements and machinery suited for
hilly and tribal areas is also envisaged.
The work under the project will be
carried out by over 50 cooperating
centres through a network of ICAR
institutes, State/Central Agricultural
Universities, and NGOs. The Deputy
Director General (Crop Sciences), Indian
Council of Agricultural Research will be
the nodal executive authority of the
project and the Project Coordinator
(Small Millets) will be the Mission
Leader. The National Bureau of Plant
Genetic Resources, New Delhi is the
lead Institute and the Monitoring Cell for
the project. The budget outlay for this
project is presently for a period of three
years [For details contact: Dr A.
Seetharam, Project Coordinator (Small
Millets), UAS, GKVK Campus,
Bangalore 560 065, India].
JAPAN
Japanese Species of Vicia
Following the MAFF (Japan) International
Workshop on Genetic Resources, that
focussed on wild legumes, Drs Elena
Potokina and Nigel Maxted, both experts
on the Vicia of Europe, joined the staff
of the National Institute of Agrobiological
Resources, Tsukuba, on a trip to Nagano
Prefecture, Japan to see habitats of
Japanese species of Vicia. During the
three-day trip, populations of 6 species
were found - Vicia unijuga, V. crassa, V.
amoena, V. venosa, V. nipponica and
V. pseudo-oribis. Two varieties of V.
venosa were found at different altitudes
on Mount Hakuba; V. venosa var.
cuspidata at 800 m and V. venosa var.
glabristyla at 1285 m.
NATP Workshop on Household Food and Nutritional Security
inaugrated by Dr M.S. Swaminathan
14
There are 17 Japanese species of Vicia
which can be divided into three groups:
i) The introduced or naturalised group,
such as of the forage species Vicia
sativa . ii) the Vicia of the Siberia-
Chinese-Japanese floristic zone, such
as V. amoena, which are distinguished
by their frost resistance, polyploidy and
extreme polymorphism due to their
broad ecological amplitude, and iii) the
oroboid species, such as V. pseudo-
oribis, that are of great phylogenetic and
taxonomic interest because they are a
link between the genera Vicia and
Lathyrus [Duncan Vaughan, Crop
Evolutionary Dynamics laboratory,
National Institute of Agrobiological
Resources, Kannondai 2-1-2,Tsukuba,
Ibaraki 305, Japan].
MALAYSIA
Malaysian Environmental
Education Programme for
Schools
A National Workshop on Malaysian
Environmental Education Programme for
Schools (MEEPS) was held on 24
February 2000. From IPGRI-APO, Dr
Percy E. Sajise, Professor H.F. Chin, Dr
Paul Quek, Ms Shalizahanim Shukor and
Ms Parimala Rajagopal participated. The
workshop was addressed by Professor
Zakri A. Hamid, Council Member of
Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM)
and Dr Percy E. Sajise, IPGRI-APO. The
workshop convened together with the
Malaysian Academy of Sciences,
15 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA No. 31

proposed a multi-sectoral programme at NEPAL Conservation IPGRI-APO, Pokhara,

the national level for Malaysia, which will Nepal].
integrate efforts in managing existing National Multi-disciplinary
information towards the development and Group Meeting (NMDG): In Diversity Fair Held at
distribution of the ‘Environmental situ Project Begnas In situ Village
Education Teaching Materials’ for
National Multi-disciplinary Group Meeting On 28 February 2000, Minister of
schools. PGR material will be part of the
was organized by Nepal Agricultural Agriculture, Mr Chakra Bastola and Dr
Environmental Education. The Multi-
Research Council (NARC) from 25-27 Dhruva Joshy, Executive Director of
Sectoral programme will serve as a
February 2000. Dr Bhola Pradhan NARC participated in the Diversity Fair
clearing house and coordination centre
Planning Director of NARC, participated at Sundari Danda. It was organized by
for activities in developing Environmental
on the opening day, whereas Dr Dhruv local community based organization
Education materials currently undertaken
Joshi, Executive Director of NARC, (CBO) and was well received. All NMDG
by the Government, Non-Government
participated in the concluding session members and selected farmers from
and Corporate sectors taking off from
and appreciated NARC-NGO partnership Jumla and Bara ecosites also
the successful public awareness project
in the in situ project as a model for participated in the event. All the twenty
of IPGRI with the state of Sabah and
NARC. Site Coordinators presented the two groups took part and Majhthar
with the University of Malaysia, Sabah.
progress for the planned activities. The women group was selected as the best.
During the National Workshop, strong
support was expressed by all sectors
including private corporations such as
Shell and the Timber Organization. For
further follow-up, an interim Working
Committee will be formed to refine and
formalize the MEEPS project proposal
with the Malaysian Academy of Sciences
as the lead institution.

This is part of the efforts initiated by the

Ministry of Education, Malaysia. The
Workshop was a great success judging
by the response from both the public
sector and the NGOs. A total of 85
representatives including several from
East Malaysia and Shell Malaysia from
the private sector participated. The
deliberations of the workshop, following
group discussions resulted in identifying
the following items for follow-up in the
immediate future:
l A Committee would be set up to
identify and appoint members to a
Steering Committee (SC)/Working
Committee, drawing up on multi-
sectoral stakeholders.
l SC will determine long-term
direction and implement the
MEEPS.
l Contents of MEEPS would be
further elaborated based on feed
back and recommendations from
time to time.
[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:
Gan, S.L. 2000. A report on the National
Workshop on MEEPS. IPGRI-APO,
Serdang Malaysia].
Women group at the diversity fair at Sundari Danda, Nepal
thematic leaders reviewed activities of
the following themes: socio-economics,
population structure, agro-morphological
and molecular diversity, agro-ecosystem,
seed supply system, adding benefits
through participatory plant breeding
(PPB), and gender/policy research.
Identification of gaps and new areas of
research were prioritized; Participatory
protocols were developed through group
discussion and budget estimates
reviewed, by preliminary review of
protocols by Dr M.P. Upadhyay, National
Project Coordinator (NPC) and Drs A.
Subedi and B. Sthapit. Finally, action
plans and individual operational plans of
each researcher were developed. These
will be discussed for budget approval in
the next Technical Coordination
Committee (TCC) meeting [Bhuwon
Sthapit, Scientist, In situ Crop
The thematic leaders also interacted with
farming community. It was held for two
days so that more interaction and
exchange of information and materials
between farmers takes place [Bhuwon
Sthapit, Scientist, In situ Crop
Conservation, IPGRI-APO, Pokhara,
Nepal].
PHILIPPINES
NaRDSAF - IARC Forum
The Department of Agriculture through
the Bureau of Agricultural Research
(BAR) organized the Philippine National
Research and Development System for
Agriculture and Fisheries (NaRDSAF) –
International Agricultural Research
Centres (IARCs) Forum in Manila on
October 4-5, 1999. The NaRDSAF-IARC
forum aims at determining the thrusts,
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
priorities, programmes of the IARCs as
related to Philippine R&D requirements;
assess the current Philippine-IARCs
partnership and to increase awareness
of BAR programmes and activities in
relation to RP-IARCs partnership. Dr
Agustin B. Molina, Regional Coordinator
of INIBAP-ASPNET, represented Dr G.
Hawtin, Director General, IPGRI, and
presented a paper on “IPGRI and the
Philippine NaRDSAF: Highlighting
INIBAP’s Role.” The many collaborative
activities between IPGRI and the
Philippine National Agricultural Research
System (NARS) in genetic resources
management, conservation and use
were presented. INIBAP’s role in the
improvement of this priority fruit crop in
the country was highlighted. In the
dialogue between INIBAP and the
Philippine Banana Research,
Development and Extension Network,
the following areas of possible
collaboration were identified: germplasm
conservation, evaluation, utilization and
exchange; organizing seminars,
workshops and training; information
development management and
exchange; and research and
development on banana IPM.
SOUTH PACIFIC
COUNTRIES
SPC’s Agricultural
Programme
The SPC’s Agricultural Programme has
started working on a draft Strategic Plan.
The following key issues in the Pacific
Islands' Agriculture Sector have been
identified:
l Increased intensity of land use as a
result of population growth and cash
cropping leading to unsustainable
agricultural practices, reduced
efficiency of production, household
food insecurity, and environmental
degradation.
l Decreased biodiversity and
intensification in crop and animal
production systems making them
more prone to emergencies such as
outbreaks of disease and pests that
pose a risk to public health, trade
access and food security.
l More rigorous quality standards for
agricultural produce in international
and local markets requiring value
addition of agricultural products to
improve shelf-life and development
of quality assurance systems.
l Liberalization of world trade,
establishment of the WTO and
development of free trade areas.
The objectives to address the major
emerging issues have been identified as
follows: i) increase efficiency and
sustainability of agriculture, ii) improve
food security and public health, iii)
facilitate trade in agricultural products,
and iv) decrease impact of natural
disasters. The following general
strategies to provide overall guidance for
programme activities were adopted: i)
promote meaningful exchange with
stakeholders to identify emerging issues
and priorities, ii) network with people and
external agencies at various levels -
international, regional, and national
(Governments, NGOs, CBOs, Farmer
Groups) to improve public awareness
and participation, and operational
efficiency of SPC’s agricultural
programme, iii) strengthen internal
linkages within SPC Land Resources
Division to ensure better integration
across disciplines, iv) investigate funding
opportunities at a regional and
international level in support of national
priorities and assist agricultural ministries
to secure donor funds for priority
projects, v) provide countries with timely
information to assist decision making,
and vi) promote gender awareness as a
tool for agricultural planning and
Participants of training course on PGR Conservation and Management
at PGRC, Sri Lanka
16
implementation [SPC Agricultural
Newsletter, Vol.8, No.2, January 2000].
SRI LANKA
International Training
Programme on PGR
Conservation and
Management
Plant Genetic Resources Centre
(PGRC), Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, Sri
Lanka conducted a four-week training
on ‘Plant Genetic Resources
Conservation and Management’ from 25
January to 21 February 2000. This was
the Third Country Programme, an
important activity supported by the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
PGRC was the first genetic resources
project established by JICA in Asia, and
part of the JICA commitment to support
PGRC to use its facilities and staff to
conduct series of annual third country
training programmes with the objective
to provide training on different aspects
of plant genetic resources to young
scientists involved in genetic resources
conservation and management in other
Asian countries.
Nine trainees from six South and
Southeast Asian countries, namely,
Bhutan (1), Cambodia (1), Laos (2),
Nepal (1), Vietnam (2) and Sri Lanka (2)
participated. The resource persons were
from PGRC and some experts from other
institutes of the Department of
Agriculture, Sri Lanka, Universities of
Peradeniya and Colombo, one from the
17 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA No. 31

National Institute of Agrobiological
Resources, Japan and one from IPGRI,
New Delhi, India. There were lectures
and hands-on training covering all
aspects of plant genetic resources
including exploration and collecting,
characterization, evaluation, utilization,
conservation and data management.
There were also two study tours for
understanding/studying PGR diversity in
various agro-climatic regions of Sri
Lanka. This training programme is
expected to be held at the beginning of
every year until 2004 [A.H.M.
Jayasuriya, Senior Deputy Director,
PGRC, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, Sri
Lanka].

Meetings/Training Programmes
INDIA: Global Conference on
Potato, New Delhi, 6-11
December 1999.
A Global Conference on potato was
jointly organized by the Indian Potato
Association and Central Potato Research
Institute/Indian Council of Agricultural
Research, New Delhi. The theme of the
Conference was “Fighting Hunger with
Potato”. The Conference was attended
by over 460 delegates from 27 countries,
including private entrepreneurs. The
scientific programme comprised of three
theme-based Symposia, viz., Potato
Biotechnology; Potato Late Blight; and
Potato Storage, Processing and
Marketing; and four sessions, viz., Crop
Production, Cropping Systems and Crop
Global Potato Conference inaugurated by Shri Nitish Kumar,
Modelling; Genetic Resources and Crop
Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Govt. of India
Improvement; Diseases, Pest
Management and Seed Production; and
True Potato Seed (TPS) and other Non- Specific recommendations on genetic biodiversity- Conservation and
Conventional Methods of Propagation. resources and crop improvement Sustainable Use” in two technical
A total of 78 lead presentations and 283 emphasized on the need for collecting sessions. In addition, a panel discussion
poster presentations were made during more variability, more exchange of on ‘Role of agro-biodiversity for
the conference. germplasm, information, global enhancing global food production’, and
cooperation in potato breeding and in plenary lectures were delivered by Dr
The Conference deliberations led to developing core collections [For details R.S. Paroda and Dr Peter Raven. In
several general and specific contact: Dr G.S. Shekhawat, Director, conjunction, a poster session
recommendations laying emphasis on: Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla representing voluntary participation and
i) potato as a food crop in developing 171 001, Himachal Pradesh, India; Fax: display of nearly 100 research papers
countries, especially in India, as it has a 91-177-224460; Email: director@ was also held. The presentations by
major intervention in our food security; cpri.hp.nic.in or shekhawat@ experts and the deliberations held by a
ii) role of biotechnology in future crop mailexcite.com]. large number of delegates in the
improvement and the need to technical sessions and the panel
complement conventional breeding with INDIA: International Conference discussions, led to a number of useful
biotechnological efforts; iii) the core on ‘Managing Natural Resources recommendations. Some of these which
collection be established to get rid of for Sustainable Agricultural are pertinent to plant diversity are
redundant types and the gaps in material Production in the 21st Century, summarized below:
and information be identified and filled; New Delhi, 14-18 February 2000.
l Emphasis needs to be given to fill
iv) exchange of potato germplasm by
The conference was organized by a up the gaps in germplasm collecting,
national programmes. This calls for
group of Societies including the Indian particularly of the underutilized
establishment of strong quarantine
Society of Plant Genetic Resources and crops, and of the major crop species
facilities. The germplasm should first be
cleaned up prior to its exchange to avoid inaugurated by Dr M.S. Swaminathan, (case to case basis) and their wild
introduction and spread of exotic Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research relatives. In order to enhance
diseases; and linkage/partnership of Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai, India. utilization of genetic resources,
national programmes and International Apart from other deliberations, a large representative sets, i.e. core
Potato Centre (CIP) may be further number of experts and delegates collections should be developed for
strengthened. discussed upon the theme “Agro- different crops.
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
l Use of on-farm participatory
approaches should be integrated for
conservation and genetic
enhancement of traditional cultivars
that will help development of
sustainable production systems,
including promotion of formal and
informal seed production,
conservation and genetic
enhancement.
l Inventories and national/regional
check lists of species should be
prepared to update the taxonomic
information, and advance
techniques like the Geographical
Information System (GIS) should be
used.
l In the light of the global
interdependence for genetic
resources, nations are obliged to
develop their own effective sui
generis systems for IPR regime,
safeguarding the national interests.
The Conference noted that less than
40 countries have their instruments
already in place or are in final
stages. Others should also come
forward.
l International community should lay
more emphasis, in further
negotiations on protection of
“Indigenous Community Rights” over
biodiversity and associated
knowledge and fair and equitable
benefit sharing on commerciali-
zation.
l The advent of biotechnological tools
has created single genepool of the
global bioresources , comprising of
plants, livestock, fish and microbes.
This requires an integrated
approach for their management,
conservation and sustainable use
[Director, National Bureau of Plant
Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus,
New Delhi 110 012, India].
Forthcoming Meetings
THAILAND: International
Symposium on Montane Mainland
Southeast Asia (MMSEA)
Governance in the National and
Cultural Landscape, Chiang Mai,
1-5 July 2000.
The symposium will have five major
themes, namely, trends in national
resources policies and management,
natural resource management, cultural
resource management, information
systems issues and regional cooperation
and networking. The different sessions
will be organized under a series of panel
presentations and dialogue to stimulate
knowledge and information dissemination
[For more information contact: Mr U-Tin-
Kim-Yong or Jureerat Thomas, PO Box
181, CMU Post Office, Chiang Mai
University, Chiang Mai 50502, Thailand,
Fax: 66-53-414121].
CHINA: International
Symposium on Biotechnology
Application in Horticultural
Crops, Beijing, 4-8 September
2000.
The Symposium is being sponsored by
the Chinese Society for Horticultural
Science (CSHS), International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and
the International Potato Centre (CIP)
Liaison Office in Beijing. The theme of
the symposium is ‘Biotechnology
Benefiting Mankind’. The symposium
will deal with topics such as tissue
culture, cell fusion, genetic
transformation and molecular markers in
horticultural crops [For more information,
contact: Dr Fang Zhiyuan, ivgcaas@
public3.bta.net.cn.].
CHINA: International Conference
on Computer Application in
Agriculture of 21st Century
(ICCA 2000). Chinese Academy
of Agriculture Science, Beijing,
17-19 October 2000.
The conference theme includes:
Database and CAI; Internet and Network
Technology; Computer Aided Design
(CAD) and Image Processing; Artificial
Intelligence and Automation; Geographic
Information System (GIS), Global
Positioning System (GPS) and Remote
Sensing and Precision Agriculture. All
above mentioned technologies should be
demonstrated to have applications in
research, education and management of
agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry,
fisheries, horticulture, and rural
development [For details contact:
Secretary General, Conference
Secretariat, Society of Computer
Applications in Agriculture, Computer
18
Centre of Chinese Academy of
Agriculture Science, No. 30 Bai Shi Qiao
Road, Beijing 100081, Republic of China.
Tel: +86-10-68975098; Email:
lius@mail.caas.net.cn].
USA: The Vth International
Safflower Conference to be held
jointly in Williston, North Dakota
and Sidney, Montana USA, 23-
27 July 2001.
The Conference is the fifth in a series of
premier world meetings of scientists and
industry personnel interested in all
aspects of safflower - production,
research and development, processing,
and marketing. Williston is the
Conference headquarters with
conference facilities at the North Dakota
State University Williston Research
Extension Centre. The Montana State
University Eastern Agricultural Research
Centre at Sidney, Montana (about 70
km from Williston) will provide a tour of
its safflower research on the second day
of the conference. The conference is co-
sponsored by North Dakota State
University, Montana State University,
United States Department of Agriculture/
Agricultural Research Service (USDA-
ARS), the American Society of
Agronomy, Crop Science Society of
America, Soil Science Society of
America, and the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO). The conference will
run as a series of successive sessions
with limited number of oral presentations
and papers presented as posters [For
details, contact: Janelle Jensen (Tel.:
406.482.2208; email: jjensen@sidney.
ars.usda.gov].
JAPAN: International
Symposium on Sago (SAGO
2001), Tsukuba, 15-17 October
2001.
This International Symposium will be
organized by the Japanese Society of
Sago Palm Studies with a support of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries, Japan International
Cooperation Agency, the Japanese
Society for Tropical Agriculture and the
Japanese Society of Applied Glyco-
science. The five scientific sessions will
stress on: i) science and technology on
sago palm cultivation and starch
production, ii) genetic studies on sago
19 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
palm, iii) roles of sago palm in the
tropical wetland ecosystem, iv) roles in
sago starch in the world-wide starch
industry, and v) sago-eaters'
communities and their culture. The
symposium aims at sharing useful
Interesting Books, Periodicals and Websites
Brush, Stephen B. (ed.). 2000. Genes
in the Field: On-Farm Conservation
of Crop Diversity. Co-published by
International Development Research
Centre and International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute, Rome and Lewis
Publishers, 2000 N.W. Corporate Blvd.
Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA. 288 p.
[ISBN: 0-88936-884-8].
The book elaborately presents different
issues relating to on-farm conservation
of crop genetic resources. There are
eleven papers (chapters) classified under
four sections. Section I presents
introduction and review of the broad
perspective of on-farm PGR
conservation. Section II considers
questions on population biology and
social sciences and deals with genetic
structure of landraces and the challenges
to conserve them on-farm. Section III
presents different case studies for
different regions for different crops and
management of traditional diversity on-
farm. Section IV relates to policy and
institutional issues. A thought provoking
foreword by Cary Fowler, Geoffrey
Hawtin and Toby Hodgkin provides due
emphasis and importance that this study
deserves and the many problems that
still need to be resolved in research
studies on in situ conservation of crop
diversity.
IPGRI. 1999. Descriptors for Citrus.
International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute, Rome, Italy. 66 p. [ISBN 92
9043 425 2].
Descriptors for Citrus is a revision of the
original IBPGR publication of 1988. The
revised descriptors list is based on the
work of a team of SRA INRA-CIRAD,
France with inputs from the EGID-Citrus
Network. It also covers Asian crop
diversity through contributions provided
by UTFANET. The UPOV Technical
Guidelines for Citrus have also been
information and ideas on various
aspects of sago palm and its products
in the world [For details contact: Dr Keiji
Kainuma, Chair, Organizing Committee,
SAGO 2001 Secretariat Office, c/o
International Communications Specialist,
examined. IPGRI encourages the
collecting of data for all five types of
descriptors, whereby data from the first
four categories - Passport, Management,
Environment and Site, and
Characterization - should be available
for any accessions. Descriptors listed
under evaluation allow for a more
extensive description of the accession.
This format represents an important tool
for a standardized characterization
system. The descriptors list provides an
international format and thereby
produces a universally understood
language for plant genetic resources
data. The two Annexes contain multi-
crop passport descriptors and the
collecting forms for citrus research.
IPGRI. 1999. Descriptors for Rocket
(Eruca spp.). International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. 56 p.
[ISBN: 92 9043 421 x].
This descriptor list represents an output
of the Rocket Genetic Resources
Network, and is specific to Eruca species
only. Data for all the five categories;
passport descriptors, management
descriptors, environment and site
descriptors, characterization descriptors
and evaluation descriptors have been
included. Collecting form for rocket
(Eruca spp.) has been provided.
Padua de L.S., Nuntavan
Bunyapraphatsara and R.H.M.J.
Lemmens (eds.). 1999. Medicinal and
Poisonous Plants. 1-Hardbound edition.
PROSEA 12(1), Backhuys Publishers,
Leiden, The Netherlands 711 p. [ISBN:
90-5782-042-0]. Low-priced paperback
edition: PROSEA, Bogor, Indonesia.
1999. [ISBN 979-8316-27-4].
The publication contains an elaborate
introduction followed by an alphabetical
treatment of 92 genera and the selected
species treatment providing details on
No. 31
Inc. Sabo-kaikan Bekkan, 2-7-4
Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-
8646, Japan. Fax: 81-3-3263-7318;
E-mail: sago@ics-inc.co.jp <mailto:
sago@ics-inc.co.jp>; http://bio.mie-
u.ac.jp/~ehara/sago/sago2001]
medicinal plants covering over 432
pages. A very exhaustive list of literature
referred is given (information condensed
from PROSEA Newsletter No.23,
December 1999).
Pradhan, P., M. Moktan and P.K.
Legha. 1999. Perspective on
Sustainable Use of Pipla ( Piper
species) in Bhutan. RNR Research
Centre - East, REID, Ministry of
Agriculture, Thimphu, Bhutan. 42 p.
This report deals with the result of a
study on Pipla (Piper species) and lays
emphasis on its cultivation, management
and conservation. Pipla is important to
pharmaceutical industry and the study
conducted to assess the status of the
resource-base, its contribution to the
socio-economy and avenue for its
sustainable use. Participatory tools were
used in this assessment study. The fruits
are of economic value and are collected
from the forests, and add to household
income of farmers in remote areas in
eastern Bhutan.
Ramanatha Rao, V. and P. Batugal,
editors. 1998. Proceedings of the
COGENT Regional Coconut Genebank
Planning Workshop, 26-28 February
1996, Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia.
IPGRI-APO, Serdang. 115 p. [ISBN: 92-
9043-365-5].
The proceedings deal with: Background
papers which provide basic information,
and institutional and legal requirements
for establishing the genebanks; reports
on evaluation of host countries, namely,
Indonesia, India, Papua New Guinea and
Côte d’ Ivoire as regional genebanks;
genebank guidelines funding strategies
and draft agreements between FAO,
host countries and IPGRI, that will
govern germplasm acquisition,
conservation and proposed 7-year work
plans and benefits for each of the four
regional genebanks.
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
Rao, A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao,
editors. 1999. Bamboo - Conservation,
Diversity, Ecogeography, Germplasm,
Resource Utilization and Taxonomy.
Proceedings of a Training Course
cum Workshop, 10-17 May 1998,
Kunming and Xishuangbanna,
Yunnan, China. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,
Malaysia. 275 p. [ISSN: 92 9043 414 7].
The proceedings contain articles on
taxonomy, biogeography, germplasm
collecting, ethnobotany and distribution
and diversity of bamboos. Twelve
country reports covering Bangladesh,
Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines,
Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam have
been presented. A well-synthesized
information is given on bamboo
resources, their conservation,
management and utilization in each
country. The publication will serve as a
valuable source of reference material
and a very useful compendium for
bamboo researchers.
Thampan, P.K. 2000. Farmer’s
Assessment of Coconut Varieties in
Kerala. 24 p. Peekay Tree Crops
Development Foundation, MIG 141,
Gandhi Nagar, Kochi 682 020, Kerala.
This publication is the result of farmer
participatory research to identify farmer
preferred coconut varieties. The study
was conducted by the Peekay Tree
Crops Development Foundation, with
financial support by IFAD, IPGRI/
COGENT. Several farmers’
organizations participated in this study
conducted in 9 village panchayats.
Information on coconut varieties (tall,
dwarf, and hybrid) has been
summarized. Farmer’s suggestions for
varietal improvement have been given.
Turok, J., F. Lefevre, S. de Vries, B.
Heinze, R. Volosyanchuk and E.
Lipman, compilers. 1999. Populus
nigra Network. Report of the Fifth
Meeting, 5-9 May 1999, Kyiv Ukraine.
International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute, Rome, Italy. 88 p. [ISBN 92
9043 431 7].
The publication presents the progress
of work under the Populus nigra network.
Fifteen country reports presented deal
with progress made on conservation of
P. nigra at the national level during the
past one and a half years. The reports
also deal with P. alba material for ex
situ conservation. Information has been
presented on in situ conservation
strategies for P. nigra in the riparian
ecosystem and an update on the
EUFORGEN core collection and
compilation of the database of clones
and the exchange of material.
Coordination of activities on P. alba
genetic resources has been also
discussed. Bibliography has been given
topic-wise: Systematics; Biology and
genetics; Parasites and environmental
stress; Riparian ecosystems and In situ
management; Biotechnology and ex situ
conservation; Selection and germplasm
conservation; Cultivation and use.
Tuxill, John. 1999. Nature’s
Cornucopia: Our Stake in Plant
Diversity. Worldwatch paper 148.
Worldwatch Institute, 1776
Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington
DC. 85 p. [ISBN 1 878071 50 5].
The book highlights concern on the value
of biodiversity in human welfare and the
increased pace with which we are losing
nature’s diversity due to its over
exploitation. Protected plant diversity
begins with genebanks and protected
areas, and conserving biodiversity
requires new partnerships between
governments and agencies responsible
for managing plant resources and the
local communities who depend on them
for their livelihood. Also, in this context,
it focuses on setting guidelines for
sharing the benefits of plant diversity
equitably vis-à-vis maintaining it.
Zhang, Z. and R.C. Johnson,
compilers. 1999. Safflower
Germplasm Collection Directory.
IPGRI Office for East Asia, Beijing,
China. 18 p. [ISBN: 92 9043 422 8].
This Directory has been developed by
IPGRI in cooperation with the
International Safflower Germplasm
Advisory Committee (ISGAC). It provides
information on safflower germplasm
collections held by 16 countries/
genebanks of the world, i.e. Australia,
Bulgaria, Canada, China, Ethiopia,
Germany, India, Mexico, Romania,
Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain,
Switzerland, Turkey and USA. The
information was collected through
20
questionnaire, existing databases and
literature. The publication will serve as a
source of information to promote the
conservation and use of safflower
germplasm.
Periodicals/Reports
CGIAR. 1999. Partnership in Action.
China, the CGIAR and Food Security.
Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research, The World Bank,
1818 H Street, NW, Washington DC
20433, USA. 20 p.
China has undergone an economic
transformation in little more than two
decades. This report deals with China-
CGIAR research partnership vis-à-vis
problems of food security. It points out
to partnership by national and
international scientists to achieve higher
productivity in food crops. Overall
achievements of agriculture in China
have been presented/summarized.
Diversity. 1999. ( Vol.15, No.3). Genetic
Resources Communication Systems. Inc.
4905 Del Ray Avenue, Suite 401,
Bethesda, MD 20814,USA. 33 p.
This international quarterly news journal
provides information on activities relating
to the conservation and utilization of
genetic resources. A broad range of
topics is covered and views on issues
and policies are presented such as on
public awareness, terminator genes,
biosafety protocol, biotechnology,
agricultural sustainability. Interesting
information is given on Echinacea
genetic resources (native to North
America), constituting raw materials for
numerous phytomedicines.
Fagopyrum. 1999. (Vol.16). Plant
Germplasm Institute, Faculty of
Agriculture, Kyoto University, Mozume-
cho, Muko, Kyoto 617-0001, Japan. 100
p. [ISSN 0352-3032].
This international journal on buckwheat
is published by the International
Buckwheat Research Association. The
publication is brought out yearly (one
volume) and provides consolidated
information on research relating to all
aspects of buckwheat: genetics,
cytology, breeding, agronomy, nutrition,
utilization, biochemistry, ethnobotany,
etc. This volume includes interesting
21 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
articles on search for Fagopyrum species
in eastern Tibet, status of buckwheat in
India, population studies on buckwheat,
breeding/hybridization, assessment of
diversity, in vitro studies, somatic
embryogenesis, nutritional aspects/
biochemistry.
FAO. 1999. The State of Food
Insecurity in the World. The Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United
States, Via delle Terme di Caracalla,
00100 Rome, Italy. 32 p. [ISBN 92-5-
104328-0].
The report provides the latest estimates
of the number of chronically hungry
people in the world. Based on data
available, it highlights countries that have
achieved the greatest gains or suffered
the most severe setbacks over the past
two decades. It also looks at global and
national efforts and probes into the
understanding of hunger and food
security and nutritional status.
Geneflow. 1999. International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute, via delle
Sette Chiese 142, 00145 Rome, Italy. 24 p.
This publication about the earth’s plant
genetic resources is brought out annually
by IPGRI Headquarters. In the 1999
issue, information is provided on IPGRI’s
new strategy. Brief information is given
on the ‘International Network for Genetic
Evaluation of Rice (INGER)’, botanical
gardens and agricultural genebanks:
partners for conservation; global meeting
in Nepal for conservation of agricultural
biodiversity on-farm, and an interview
with Professor Peter Crane, the new
Director of Kew Gardens on the role of
botanical gardens to food security,
biodiversity conservation etc.
Global Newsletter on Underutilized
Crops. 1999. (December issue).
International Centre for Underutilized
Crops (ICUC), Institute of Irrigation and
Development Studies, The University of
Southampton, Highfield, Southampton
S017 1BJ, UK. 28 p.
This newsletter is published twice a year,
and is devoted to diverse global activities
on underutilized plants. This issue
includes brief information on crop
research and development networks,
meetings held and future conferences/
forthcoming events and publications of
interest.
IPGRI-APO. 1999. Status Report on
Genetic Resources of Buckwheat.
IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the
Pacific and Oceania, PO Box 236, UPM
Post Office, Serdang, 43400 Selangor
Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
The publication deals with three status
reports on buckwheat genetic resources,
namely for East Asia - China; and South
Asia -India and Nepal. Information on
origin, evolution, classification and
distribution of diversity, breeding,
utilization and conservation aspects has
been provided. Further queries may be
addressed to Professor M. Zhou,
Coordinator, IPGRI Office for East Asia,
C/o. CAAS, 30 Bai Shi Qiao Road,
Beijing 100081, China.
IPGRI/FAO. 1999. Plant Genetic
Resources Newsletter. (No.120).
International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute, via delle Sette Chiese 142,
00145 Rome, Italy. 68 p. [ISSN 1020-
3362].
This newsletter is published quarterly by
IPGRI/FAO and deals with activities on
plant genetic resources in wider
perspectives. The issue No. 120 includes
an interesting article from the APO region
on ‘Traditional crops in the Central
Himalayas’, and short communications
on ‘Collecting castor (Ricinus communis
L.) germplasm in northwestern India and
on ‘Genetic diversity of Chinese hull-less
barley germplasm and its utilization’.
Journal of Applied Agriculture. 1999
(Vol.1(2), July-December). Society of
Advancement of Horticulture, A-859,
Indiranagar, Lucknow 226 016. Pp. 79-
154. [ISSN 0972-1045].
This journal is published biannually, and
deals with all aspects of horticultural
crops. Several articles in this volume
deal with evaluation of mango genetic
resources for morphological,
physiological and quality traits; disease
resistance; post-harvest aspects etc.
Other articles include crop improvement
in vegetables, ornamentals and a few
underutilized fruits such as Syzygium
cuminii and Aegle marmelos.
MUSARAMA. 1999 (Vol.12, No.2). The
International Bibliographic Abstracts.
Journal on Banana and Plantain.
No. 31
INIBAP, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II,
34497 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
32 p.
MUSARAMA is published with the
support of the Technical Centre for
Agricultural and Rural Corporation
(CTA). This issue provides abstracts on
166 references on banana and plantain:
dealing with botany, genetics, breeding,
organogenesis, ecology, biochemistry,
multiplication, agronomy, plant
protection, pest, harvest, processing,
uses, production systems, agro-
economics, trade aspects and research.
PROSEA NEWSLETTER. 1999 (No.28).
PROSEA Network office, C/o. Herbarium
Bogoriense, RDCB-LIPO, PO Box 332,
Bogor 16122, West Java, Indonesia. 8
p. [ISSN: 0853 2958].
The PROSEA activities are given,
including information on the recently
published book on Medicinal and
Poisonous Plants 1, Numbers 2 and 3
of this series are being finalized. The
issue contains an interesting article on
plant resources in the markets of Hanoi.
SEEDLING. 1999 (Vol.16, No.4).
GRAIN, Girona 25, Pral, E-08010,
Barcelona, Spain. 24 p. [ISSN 1002-
5154].
This is a quarterly newsletter of Genetic
Resources Action International (GRAIN),
an international non-governmental
organization (NGO) based in Spain. It
promotes the sustainable management
and use of agricultural biodiversity based
on people’s control over genetic
resources and local knowledge with
special emphasis on developing
countries. The article entitled ‘Fair and
Equitable, Where Did They Go’ by Isaac
Rojas Ramirez provides good discussion
on access to resources and benefit
sharing based on a panel meeting held
recently in Costa Rica.
Websites
Some interesting sites are given below:
http://www.bionet_us.org/
website.html
This site maintains a list of websites
related to biodiversity policy and law. It
is maintained by BIONET and is updated
and distributed on a quarterly basis. The
No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA
list contains two sections: one containing
issue-specific web addresses; and the
other having the addresses of relevant
institutions, organizations and other
stakeholder groups working around the
CBD.
http://www.botany.net/IDB
This site is related to Internet Directory
for Botany, which provides information
on taxonomic expertise.
http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri/doc/
dbintro.htm
This site provides information on
genebank holdings worldwide and can
be interrogated on the database
available on the Internet. It provides
information on materials of particular
crops held in both national genebanks
and in regional and international
institutes.
Scientific Contributions
In situ Conservation of
Fagopyrum Species in
Nepal - Field Survey and
Collection
A collaborative research project on in
situ conservation of buckwheat
(Fagopyrum spp.) in Nepal is being
carried out jointly by Nepal Agricultural
Research Council (NARC) and National
Institute of Agrobiological Resources
(NIAR) since 1998. The aims of this
project are to: i) conduct field survey of
the species, ii) collect seed samples for
DNA analysis, and iii) investigate genetic
diversity of in situ conserved Fagopyrum
species. F. tataricum (tartary buckwheat)
is common in Dolpa area, and F.
esculentum (common buckwheat) is
predominantly grown at Mustang area.
F. cymosum plants are found
spontaneously in several areas including
Dolpa and Mustang, mainly used as
animal fodder by mountain people.
The purpose of the present study was
to identify and collect wild Fagopyrum
species in Dolpa area of west Nepal and
Mustang area for further analysis of DNA
variation. Three field surveys were
conducted, consisting of one survey
mission jointly by Nepal and Japanese
http://shiva.pub.getty.edu/
tgn_browser/
The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic
Names is the first automated global
source of hierarchically arranged
geographical data. It comprises records
for approximately 900 000 places.
Besides providing the service to look for
places in different countries, it is also a
good reference for converting names of
places to the Latitude and Longitude of
the places represented in degrees
minutes direction as well as in decimal
degrees and fractions of degrees.
http://www.fao.org/agris/default32.htm
AGRIS was created by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) in 1974, to facilitate
information exchange and to identify
world literature dealing with all aspects
of agriculture. The database has
scientists and two missions by Nepalese
scientists. Specimens of Fagopyrum
plants collected from in situ sites already
deposited at NARC were identified by
Professor Ohmi Ohnishi of the University
of Kyoto. Seed samples of Fagopyrum
spp. were also collected for further DNA
analysis to detect genetic diversity.
Based on field surveys and identification
of collected specimens, interesting
observations made are as follows:
l F. cymosum was distributed widely
in Nepal and wild F. tataricum ssp.
potanini and other wild forms were
found in a very limited area of
Mustang.
l Fagopyrum species in Dolpa area
(Juphal and Dunai) of west Nepal
growing at an altitude of 2000 m,
matured in early November. Several
natural habitats of F. cymosum were
detected on the slopes along
riversides and in botanical gardens.
Plant population of F. megacarpum
was detected and the seeds were
collected.
l Boch National Horticultural
Experiment Farm located at the
altitude of 2230 m, 120 km east from
Kathmandu conserves several
22
accumulated more than 3 000 000
references to date. CARIS was created
by FAO in 1975 to identify and to
facilitate the exchange of information
about current agricultural research
projects being carried out in - or on
behalf of - developing countries.
Centres have submitted exhaustive
information on roughly 30 000 currently
active projects.
http://www.inbar.org.sg
This is the website of the International
Network on Bamboo and Rattan. The
latest news and highlights on the page
is bamboo: Timber for the 21st Century.
INBAR’s Address: Anyuan Building
No.10, Anhui Beili, Asian Games Village,
Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R. China.
Mailing Address: Branch Box 155, P.O.
Box 9799, Beijing, China 100101.Tel:
+86-10-64956961/82 Fax: +86-10-
64956983 Email: info@inbar.org.cn
horticultural plants. About 2000
plants of F. cymosum were found
spontaneously growing along
terraces and foothills and enough
seeds were collected for DNA
analysis.
l F. cymosum does not occur in large
populations in situ , and small
spontaneous populations were
found in several areas. In order to
investigate the genetic diversity
within and between populations of
F. cymosum, the analysis of DNA
variation is planned to be done on
the collected materials.
[Dr Shu-ichi Fukuoka, National Institute
of Agrobiological Resources (NIAR),
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries, Japan; Professor Ohmi
Ohnshi, University of Kyoto, Japan; and
Dr Mahesh L. Vaidya, Dr D.R. Sharma
and Dr Bimal K. Baniya, Nepal
Agricultural Research Council (NARC),
Lalitpur, Khumaltar, Nepal].
Genetic Variability in
Jackfruit
Jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus
Lamk.), supposed to be a native of
Western Ghats of India, is grown under
23 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA No. 31

Table 1. Fagopyrum species collected in Nepal fruit (138-585); bulb weight (11.3-28.0
g); bulb length (2.4-3.8 cm); bulb width
Species Collection sites
(1.5-6.2 cm); cylinder (4.2-12.5%); total
District Village Altitude (m) soluble solids (15.0-28.0%); total sugars
Fagopyrum cymosum (4n) Dolakha Boch NHEF 2232 (11.5-25.5%); acidity (0.15-0.25%);
Dolpa Juphal 2550 protein (2.1-3.0%) and total minerals
Dolpa Yala 2345 (1.2-1.9%).
Dolpa Dangiwada 2100 Variation among the genotypes was also
Dolpa Majfal 2700 observed for average seed weight (1.1-
Dolpa Dunai 2010 11.0 g); length (1.3-3.8 cm); width (0.5-
3.6 cm); shape (kidney, flat, conical,
Dolpa Rasi 2880
bean shaped, oblong, oval) and colour
Dolpa Sahartara 2610
(pure white, creamy white, light tan, dark
Dolpa Lhara 2820 tan), growth, bearing (some genotypes
Kaski Lumle Ag. Stn. 1675 bear twice a year), yield (12-400 fruits/
Kaski Lumle Ag. Stn. 1675 tree) and fruit maturity (June to August).
Lalitpur Imadal - There are no recognized cultivars in
F. tataricum Dolakha Boch 2232 jackfruit. Cultivars are named after the
Dolpa Dangiwada 2100 locality of their occurrence, flavour, taste
Dolpa Vyasgad - and colour of fruit. Some popular types
Dolpa Sahartara 2407 are ‘Zarda’, ‘Bhusheela’, ‘Hariyahva’,
‘Gulabi’, ‘Champa’, ‘Hazari’, etc. The
Dolpa Dhupichaur -
cultivar ‘Singapore’ produces fruits within
Dolpa Rasi 2880
2-3 years and ‘Rudrakshi’ produces
Dolpa Runai 2010 roundish fruits of the size of a large
Mustang Samda - pumello.
F. esculentum Dolpa Dangiwada 2100
Considering its high productivity and
Dolpa Sahartara 2407 nutritive value, selection of superior
Dolpa Vyasgad - clones for vegetable purposes and as a
Dolpa Rupgad 2220 table fruit, possessing high yield with
F. megacarpum Dolpa Vyasgad 2130-2310 better quality and tolerance to abiotic and
biotic stresses, would be of great value
both tropical and subtropical climates. thickness (0.5-1.2 cm); skin colour (dark for commercialization of jackfruit [Dr I.S.
In India, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West green, green, greenish yellow, yellow, Singh, Professor and Head, and Dr A.
Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, yellowish green, light brown, dark K. Srivastava, Senior Technical
Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Orissa and brown); pulp colour (white, creamy white, Assistant, Narendra Deva University of
Kerala are the major jackfruit growing creamy, creamy yellow, yellow); fibre Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj,
states. An attempt has been made at length (3.0-6.0 cm); number of bulbs/ Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh 224 229, India].
the Narendra Deva University of
Agriculture and Technology, Faizabad to
collect and identify suitable germplasm
with high yield potential and quality fruit
for an organized orcharding.

Exploration and germplasm collecting

trips were undertaken in various tracts
of eastern Uttar Pradesh where jackfruit
grows wild. A large number of natural
populations were studied to select the
variability. About 18 types have been
identified as superior clones. These
exhibited variation for various
morphological and physiochemical
characteristics, namely, fruit shape (oval,
oblong, elongated, irregular, roundish);
weight (1.1-18.8 kg); length (15.5-61.0
cm); circumference (37.3-93.5 cm); rind
Fruit variability in jackfruit
 No. 30 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA 24

Useful Names & Addresses

AAHF Mr Farid Uddin Ahmed Dr Dhruva Joshy
Asian Agri-History Foundation Member Director (Forestry) Executive Director
47 ICRISAT Colony 1 Nepal Agricultural Research Council
Bangladesh Agricultural Research
Brig. Sayeed Road
Council (BARC) Khumaltar, Lalitpur
Secunderabad 500 009
Andhra Pradesh Farmgate, Dhaka 1215 PO Box 5459, Kathmandu
India Bangladesh Nepal

AVRDC Dr R. S. Paroda
Dr N. Murthi Anishetty
Asian Vegetable Research and Secretary, DARE and
Senior Officer - Plant Genetic Resources Director General, ICAR
Development Centre
Plant Production and Protection Division Indian Council of Agricultural Research
P.O Box 205, Taipei 10099
Taiwan FAO of the United Nations Krishi Bhavan
Via delle Terme di Caracalla New Delhi 110 001
ICIMOD 00100 Rome India
International Centre for Integrated Italy
Mountain Development Dr Percy E. Sajise
4/80 Jawala Khel Regional Director
Dr Pons A. Batugal IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the
GPO Box 3226
Kathmandu Senior Scientist, COGENT Coordinator Pacific and Oceania (APO)
IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the PO Box 236, UPM Post Office
Nepal
43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Pacific and Oceania
Malaysia
INBAR PO Box 236, UPM Post Office
International Network for Bamboo 43400 Serdang Dr Param Sivan
and Rattan
Selangor Darul Ehsan Project Team Leader, TaroGen
Anynan Building No.10
Malaysia Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Asian Games Village
Private Mail Bag
Chaoyang District, PO Box 9799
Suva
Beijing Ms Elizabeth Goldberg Fiji
China Group Director
Documentation, Information and Training Dr M.S. Swaminathan
NIAR Chairman
(DIT)
National Institute of Agrobioloical M.S. Swaminathan Research
Resources International Plant Genetic Resources
Foundation (MSSRF)
Kannondai 2-1-2, Tsukuba Institute, Via delle Sette Chiese 142
1, Taramani Institutional Area
Ibaraki 305 00145 Rome Chennai 600 113
Japan Italy India

SEARCA Mr Lu Xinrong
Dr A.H.M. Jayasuriya
Southeast Asian Regional Centre Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources
For Graduate Study and Research Senior Deputy Director
Chinese Academy of Agricultural
in Agriculture Plant Genetic Resources Centre Sciences
Los Baños Peradeniya Beijing 100081
Philippines Sri Lanka P.R. China

The Newsletter is produced by

Dr Bhag Mal, Coordinator and Dr R. K. Arora, Hon. Research Fellow, IPGRI Office for South Asia, with support from: Dr Percy
E. Sajise, Regional Director, Dr V. Ramanatha Rao, Senior Scientist (Genetic Diversity/Conservation), Dr Pons Batugal,
COGENT Coordinator, Dr Paul Quek, Documentation/Information Specialist at the IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and
Oceania; Professor Zhou Ming-De, Coordinator and Mr Zhang Zongwen, Associate Coordinator at the IPGRI Office for East
Asia, and Dr P. N. Mathur, Associate Coordinator at the IPGRI Office for South Asia. The addresses of these offices are:

IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the
Pacific and Oceania
PO Box 236, UPM Post Office
43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia
Tel: (603) 89423891; Fax: (603) 89487655
Email: ipgri-apo@cgiar.org
IPGRI Office for South Asia
c/o NBPGR, Pusa Campus,
New Delhi 110012, India
Telex: 31-77257 NBGR IN
Tel: (91-11) 5731845, 5786112,
Fax: (91-11) 5819899
Email: ipgri-delhi@cgiar.org
IPGRI Office for East Asia
c/o CAAS, No. 30 Bai Shi Qiao Road,
Beijing 100081, P.R. China
Telex : 222720 CAAS CN, Tel : (86-10)
62183744
Fax: (86-10) 62174159
Email: ipgri-caas@cgiar.org